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Another UFC Fight Night has come and gone and the Nashville crowd let the main event performers know exactly what they thought. While Cory Sandhagen utilized a LOT of wrestling to neutralize the dangerous Rob Font, the live audience was hoping for the exciting standup affair the contest was advertised to be. When they didn’t get it, the boo birds came out to shower the relatively boring decision. 

It’s hard to fault Sandhagen as his number one priority is to secure a win. Regardless, people pay for sport to be entertained, meaning that aspect can’t be completely ignored. That’s not only something for the fighters to take into account; that goes for the promotion too. The UFC is a business and their goal is to make money. Sandhagen may have won in the main event, but he was far from being the biggest winner on the night. In fact, given the circumstances, it may be appropriate to label him a loser on the evening. 

That said, who were the real winners and losers of UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font? Sure, 12 UFC fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night, as we already discussed with regards to Sandhagen. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

UFC Fight Night – Winners 

Dustin Jacoby 

Entering the contest after dropping his last two UFC fights, there was a strong feeling in the air that Jacoby was on the decline. Sure, when one looks at how many MMA fights he has under his belt for someone who tends to fight as technically as he does, there shouldn’t be too much wear and tear on him. But that would be discounting his kickboxing career. If his performance against Kennedy Nzechukwu was any indication, Jacoby still has plenty left in the tank, securing the fourth first round finish of his UFC fight career. 

At 35, Jacoby’s age can’t be ignored in terms of projecting a potential falloff. However, it also needs to be remembered that the larger weight classes tend to have longer shelf lives. Plus, while it is true Jacoby entered on a losing streak, he was competitive in both those losses. Most believe he beat Khalil Rountree and he controlled Azamat Murzakanov most of the UFC fight. It was the big moments Murzakanov won. Jacoby still appears to be one of the better strikers at controlling a fight. As his win over Nzechukwu proved, he can still have big moments himself too. 

Diego Lopes 

While Lopes came up short in his first UFC fight, nobody came closer to hanging an L on Movsar Evloev than Lopes did. However, many believed he caught lightning in a bottle, that there was a good reason why he didn’t make his UFC debut until he was 27 fights into his MMA career. Lopes just gave all those people a big middle finger. Not only did he secure a first round submission against Gavin Tucker, he secured a flying triangle. Name the last time you weren’t impressed by any sort of flying finish? 

While I find it to be appropriate to question Lopes’ ceiling, it can’t be denied his flashy submission prowess is a welcome addition to the roster. There aren’t many submission specialists in this day and age; even fewer who look like they can hold their own in a standup battle. I don’t want to say Lopes is the complete package, but he hasn’t done anything to dissuade me from thinking he can’t be, at least not yet. At 28, he’s still young enough to have me believing he hasn’t peaked yet. 

Cody Durden 

I know a lot of people hear the word “scrappy” and think of it as an insult, but it shouldn’t be taken that way. That’s due to most associating the word with a lack of talent – which is a fair association – but it’s more about toughness and maximizing the skills one does possess. Durden is the definition of scrappy. I couldn’t tell you how in the world he survived the armbar Jake Hadley had locked in towards the end of the second round, but Durden not only survived, he escaped. In doing so, I managed to hang on for a clear decision win. 

Given Durden is a bit of a divisive character, I get the feeling many won’t like me pointing out Durden has the look of a dark horse in the flyweight division. Four consecutive wins will do that, which is also why I have Durden on the winner’s list ahead of Billy Quarantillo. I get that his level of competition hasn’t been the best, but he’s been beating who has been placed in front of him and I don’t get the feeling the UFC is attempting to protect him either. He’s stepped up on short notice a few times, including this UFC fight. Even if one doesn’t like Durden, they can’t deny his scrappiness. 

UFC Fight Night – Losers 

Jessica Andrade 

Make no mistake, Tatiana Suarez is a massive winner on the night. There’s a great chance she booked herself into a title fight with her win over Andrade. But where does Andrade stand? The former strawweight champion has proven to be one of the UFC’s most dependable soldiers, stepping in on short notice several times over the years. While it has worked out for her before, it hasn’t recently. Earlier in the year, she came up short against Erin Blanchfield. Now, Suarez sent Andrade to her third consecutive loss, all of those losses coming before the final bell. 

Perhaps Andrade is slowing down. At 31, she’s still relatively young, but she has put a lot of wear and tear on her body over the years. Perhaps she’s simply had a series of bad stylistic matchups. Either way, Andrade needs to operate with more caution if she hopes to maximize what she has left of her career, whether it’s how she fights or the UFC fights she accepts. Given this is the first three-fight losing streak of her career, perhaps it will be a wake up call for her. Then again, her reckless nature may blind her to that issue. 

Ignacio Bahamondes 

That was a UFC fight Bahamondes should have won. I’m not trying to take anything away from Ludovit Klein. Klein had a fantastic game plan and executed it to perfection. But Bahamondes opened the UFC fight like someone who expected the contest to be a cakewalk. He got a rude awakening pretty quickly and was forced to make adjustments on the fly. The problem was that he was forced to dig himself out of a hole by that point as he had already dropped the first round and was forced to press. 

Given the amount of fights he has under his belt, it’s easy to forget Bahamondes turns 26 later this month. He’s still young. Despite that, I can’t help but feel he needed to make a rapid ascent up the lightweight ladder given it’s hard to believe he can continue to cut to 155 on his 6’3” frame for too long. Watching him against Klein, I think the move to 170 should be initiated now. He didn’t have the same zip in his strikes Klein did. Besides, Klein could tell him all about how much better he feels no that he’s not cutting to 145. The opportunity is there for Bahamondes to turn this into a learning opportunity. 

Raoni Barcelos 

At one point, Barcelos was the golden boy of pretty much all the MMA analysts across the interwebs. Possessing solid wrestling, tight grappling, and explosive striking, he had it all. Well… except for youth. Barcelos was already in his 30’s by the time he reached the UFC and the organization wasn’t going to do him any favors. He was forced to work his way up from the bottom of the division, allowing his physical prime to be spent fighting opponents he should have been allowed to hop, skip, and jump over. By the time Barcelos earned the right to fight those opponents, his prime was over. 

If I’m to be fair, the UFC did try to give him big jumps in competition, only for injury to derail those contests. And to the 36-year-old Barcelos’ credit, he put on a competitive UFC fight with Kyler Phillips. The first two rounds went to Phillips thanks to him delivering the bigger moments in otherwise competitive rounds and Barcelos arguably took the final round. But he has also lost four of his last five. Given the level of competition Barcelos has faced in that stretch, he shouldn’t be in danger of being released. But a drop in the level of competition is certainly warranted.  

Jump to

Another UFC PPV come and gone and there’s no doubt UFC 291 was a good omen the MMA gods are presently pleased with us. Justin Gaethje beheaded Dustin Poirier in the second round of their highly anticipated rematch. In the processed, Gaethje exercised one of his past demons by evening up the score with Poirier and claiming the BMF belt in the process. While the belt is merely an honorary trinket – Jorge Masvidal never won another fight after claiming it and managed to maintain it anyway – it’s still a nice trinket only two people can ever claim to have owned. 

That was hardly the only excitement in the building for the night. While the co-main event between Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira was a ho-hum, nip and tuck affair, there were several other contests that more than made up for it. Derrick Lewis returned to his explosive form. Only one of the preliminary contests required the judges to do any scoring. The crowd was into it from the beginning and the fighters fed off their energy. If ever a recent card demonstrated what a positive effect a live crowd can have, this was it. 

But who were the real winners and losers of UFC 291? Sure, 11 fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

UFC 291 Winners 

Justin Gaethje 

Despite Gaethje having won the interim title back in 2020, he’s been stuck with the label of coming up short on the brightest of stages. He lost the coaches’ fight to Eddie Alvarez. He lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov. He lost to Charles Oliveira. There was a degree of that with Poirier too, but Poirier also had the pair of wins over Conor McGregor. I don’t want to say Gaethje’s KO win erases away the idea that he can’t win the big one – he would still need to win the lightweight title for that to happen – but he can claim himself to be one bad MFer. 

It’s hard to believe Gaethje doesn’t have next as Islam Makhachev and Oliveira battle over the lightweight title. In other words, he’ll have the opportunity to completely erase that narrative. There was also talk of Gaethje fighting McGregor next at the post-fight press conference, but he quickly shot that down. Even if Gaethje doesn’t have quite the same vibe Masvidal had after putting Nate Diaz down, he appears to be calling his shots. About the only worry is Gaethje could age out soon as he turns 35 in November. We can only wait and see how much Gaethje has left in the tank. 

Derrick Lewis 

I suppose Lewis was able to find his motivation. Entering the event on a three-fight losing streak – and having lost four of his last five – the thought was Lewis’ career was winding down. Lewis has never had a strong love for the sport of MMA – I remember an interview with him several years ago in which he said he didn’t know who Fedor Emelianenko was – and he’s made a nice chunk of change over the years. It was conceivable he was done dealing with the punishment fighting brings. Or… maybe not. 

Lewis blasted Marcos Rogerio de Lima with a flying knee out of the gate. After de Lima hit the mat, Lewis didn’t let up, pounding away on the bulky Brazilian until the stoppage came shortly after. Lewis showed some genuine enthusiasm after the win, removing his shorts to the delight of the crowd due to his balls once again being overheated. Lewis also let it be known he’s now a free agent, which explains his motivation: money. Not that I blame him. Winning in this manner allows him to enter the market riding high and likely cashing in.

Roman Kopylov 

It wasn’t a flawless performance, but Kopylov delivered the highlight reel finish that was necessary to erase the shaky moments he had from everyone’s memory. After a back-and-forth opening round, Kopylov casually caught Claudio Riberio with a high kick out of nowhere shortly into the second round, putting a sudden end to the fight. In the process, Kopylov has reestablished himself as an up-and-coming middleweight after dropping his first two fights in the organization. Too bad Joe Rogan took the wind our of Kopylov’s callout of Sean Strickland…. 

The quality of the wins doesn’t call for a definitive contest against a ranked opponent, but Kopylov is proving capable of consistently entertaining contests. Each of his three wins during his current win streak came via violent finish. Combine that with the way his fight with Riberio went, it seems likely that Kopylov is a regular for Performance Bonuses. That should make him a hot commodity for other fighters to face. Or at least he should be. Given this is the way they make their living, I’d think they would be wanting to face guys who provide an increased chance for an extra $50K. 

UFC 291 Losers 

Tony Ferguson 

I find it hard to believe there was anyone who still believed Ferguson had anything left in the tank entering the event. I’ll be absolutely shocked if there’s still anyone left. Ferguson was still throwing the same type of strikes he was throwing when he was in his prime. The problem is he has declined so sharply in his physical abilities that it’s like he’s fighting in slow motion. Bobby Green was merely toying with Ferguson as soon as he was able to establish a rhythm. He capped that off by being the first to submit Ferguson, putting him to sleep just before the final buzzer. 

Ferguson may not have ever outright won UFC gold, but he established himself as an all-time great anyway. Some of the other all-time greats have never come close to sniffing a 12-fight win streak like Ferguson had. There were several former champions within that streak too. But there may not be a sport more cruel to its participants at the end of their careers than MMA. Ferguson is a good example. After six losses in a row, it can’t be ignored: Ferguson is done. 

Michael Chiesa 

I can’t remember a Chiesa fight where he looked like he didn’t want to be in the cage. He hasn’t always fought to his strengths, but he never looked like his head was elsewhere. Against Kevin Holland, Chiesa looked like he was already onto the next step of his career, working behind a desk as a UFC analyst. I’m not even just referring to his performance in the cage. I was regretting my pick of Chiesa as he was walking to the cage as the typical glint in his eye was missing. The feeling I got was let’s go and get this over with… and that’s what happened. 

This isn’t me saying Chiesa didn’t try. He was attempting to get the fight to the ground. He was fighting back after Holland hurt him on several occasions. But Chiesa’s heart wasn’t into it. Given Chiesa already has the next part of his life ready and roaring to go, it isn’t a surprise to see him fall out of love with the fighting game. Well… at least being an active participant. I anticipate we’ll hear a retirement announcement soon enough

Vinicius Salvador 

What’s frustrating is Salvador has the potential in the world to be not just a good fighter, but a fun fighter. He has an insane amount of power for the flyweight division, has a solid chin, a lanky frame, and plus athleticism in a division known for having the best overall athletes. Instead, there’s a reasonable chance the young Brazilian is going to end up on the chopping block due to a complete lack of discipline. I’m not just referring to his performance in the cage; he missed weight by a wide margin too. 

In his contest with CJ Vergara, Salvador appeared to be more interested in showboating than attempting to win the fight. He threw with power only occasionally, treating the fight more like a sparring session than looking to put out the lights of Vergara. The only reason Salvador took a round is because Vergara took off the first round himself. Even in this fight, Salvador flashed what makes him awesome. The problem is he didn’t flash the goods nearly enough.  

Jump to…

Another UFC Fight Night has come and gone, this time from the hotbed of London, England. Unfortunately, the UFC hasn’t been able to replicate the success they managed to find in March of last year. In fact, on the whole, the card was on the somber side as a there was a LOT of ho-hum decisions that were difficult to get through. Fortunately, the card closed well enough – even if home country favorite Molly McCann came up short – and a legit headliner returned from a long layoff. 

Tom Aspinall’s demolition of Marcin Tybura proved that his knee injury merely delayed his rise to stardom as opposed to derailing it. In fact, he looked better than ever, the time off forcing him to deal not just his knee rehab, but the rest of his body as well. Aside from that, I’ll never know how the UFC overlooked granting and extra $50K to Nathaniel Wood and Andre Fili – no disrespect to Jonny Parsons and Daniel Roberts – as those two had me on the edge of my seat more than any other contest. 

But who were the real winners and losers of the event? Sure, 15 fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

UFC Fight Night Winners 

Tom Aspinall 

There was quite a bit of drab action on the night, but not a single second of that can be attributed to Aspinall. I already mentioned how spectacular he looked – requiring a mere 73 seconds of official work – but it also sets him up to be a big part of the title picture moving forward. As much as I hate to place marketability into the equation for who has next after Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic take care of business, it’s undeniably going to be measured when the UFC attempts to determine who between Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich has next. That favors Aspinall. 

Perhaps more important, the UFC has a genuine English star on their hands. Paddy Pimblett may be more recognizable overall, but he’s lost some steam following his controversial win over Jared Gordon. Plus, Pimblett’s ceiling is limited. Aspinall would be well-served to amplify his personality to help sell himself, but his body of work will help to make up for that. Plus, no disrespect to Leon Edwards, but Aspinall is already a more personable figure than Great Britain’s only current champion. 

Paul Craig 

The lanky Scot proved just about everyone wrong, myself included. There’s such a long track record of fighters moving down to a new weight class late in their careers, only for them to find out it wasn’t the best idea. However, there’s also the occasional exception, typically from fighters who are considered to be some of the more thoughtful cage fighters in the business. Like Jose Aldo. While Craig has always been a kill or be killed fighter, no one has ever considered him to be anything other than thoughtful. 

The opening round saw Craig looking to get a feel for things as he wasn’t very aggressive. Come the second round, Craig wasted little time taking the fight to the mat, allowing his massive size to overwhelm the respected Andre Muniz on the mat. When Craig couldn’t find the sub, he overwhelmed Muniz with his size and power to get the stoppage with his fists. I’m guessing Craig’s ceiling at middleweight is similar to what it was at light heavyweight, but that’s still more than what we were all predicting walking into the event. Craig continues to defy the odds. 

Ketlen Vieira 

I get what you’re all thinking. Vieira’s fight with Pannie Kianzad was one of the more boring contests on the card, doing nothing to pick up any new fans for Vieira. Nor does it improve her standing with the UFC brass. However, while it would have been nice to have a highlight reel finish or a contest that permanently fixed some eyeballs on her, she got what she needed out of the fight: a dominant win, which doesn’t hurt her standings in the women’s wide open bantamweight division. 

The retirement of Amanda Nunes has created a mad scramble to figure out who should be fighting for the vacant gold. As of now, there’s a triangle between former champion Julianna Pena, Raquel Pennington, and Mayra Bueno Silva. That leaves someone out in the cold… and likely fighting in a title eliminator. Vieira’s win likely ensures she’s the missing fixture in that equation given Holly Holm, Irene Aldana, Kianzad, and Yana Santos are all coming off losses, the names immediately behind Vieira in the rankings. So yes, Vieira is a big winner on the night. 

UFC Fight Night Losers 

Molly McCann 

After back-to-back spinning back elbow KO’s last year, McCann is now staring down back-to-back first round submission losses after getting her arm mangled by Julija Stoliarenko. In other words, the bloom is completely off the rose. That isn’t to say McCann has been eclipsed as Great Britain’s favorite women’s fighter by any means, but the enthusiasm has certainly been tempered by a wide margin. The guess here is the loss also solidifies the idea in the mind of the UFC that McCann is nothing more than a fun action fighter who needs to be matched appropriately rather than a budding contender. 

While McCann can obviously carve out a quality career in that role, no fighter likes to be told they’re not going to be given the opportunity to prove just how good they are. I’m sure McCann would object to such a label. However, what is more important for her at the moment is getting back on the winning track as opposed to massaging her pride. That means matching her up with an opponent willing to go toe-to-toe with her on the feet… just the type of contest the UFC should be interested in. 

Jai Herbert 

Let me start by stating I scored Herbert’s contest with Fares Ziam for Herbert. The judges disagreed with me, but it was a close contest. That said, while it could be argued Herbert delivered a winning performance in technical terms, it can’t be argued he did so strictly in terms of entertainment value. Herbert and Ziam’s fight was arguably the worst fight on a card full of subpar contests in terms of pure aesthetics. 

With that said, Herbert’s employment status is very much in the air. He’s seven fights into his UFC career with just two victories to his name. Granted, there’s a draw in there, but Herbert is 35 and hasn’t lived up to the hype of him being an action-fighting striker. Sure, he’s had flashes – his KO of Khama Worthy was spectacular – but he’s also had fights like this one with Ziam. Herbert doesn’t appear to be long for the UFC. 

Marc Diakiese 

There’s several reasons to put Diakiese here. First of all, his loss was anything but clean. A clash of head’s between himself and Joel Alvarez the referee missed is what ultimately disorientated him to the extent he was unable to properly defend the submission prowess of Alvarez. Up to that point, Diakiese was having a competitive contest with Alvarez. I wouldn’t have said he was winning – Alvarez took the first round and the second was still up for grabs – but a victory wasn’t out of reach for him if the scorecards were required. 

Now, given the unlikelihood of his loss being overturned to a no contest – which I would believe was the appropriate call – Diakiese instead finds himself with consecutive losses and no longer being a youthful prospect. In other words, he’s not likely to get the same type of leash the UFC was willing to grant him previously. I don’t believe he’s going to be cut, but as established as Diakiese is at this point, I have a hard time believing the UFC might be willing to toss him a softball. 

Jump to…

Another UFC Fight Night has come and gone, the results proving to be a mixed bag. The evening started out very slow, the first five fights on the evening going to the judges. When we did get our first finish, it was a freak injury that brought an end to the action. Fortunately, the main card largely delivered. The co-main event delivered far more drama than anyone anticipated while the main event announced a new contender in the wide open women’s bantamweight division. 

Mayra Bueno Silva’s win over Holly Holm probably wasn’t as unexpected as it might have been to the casual fans, but most would consider it to be a positive development. Not because Holm is an unlikeable person, but the division has been bereft of new blood at the top for so long, it had begun to stagnate. Bueno Silva’s emergence breaks the stagnation, creating the first stirring interest in the division since Julianna Pena upset Amanda Nunes. Time will tell if that maintains. 

But who were the real winners and losers of the event? Sure, 12 fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

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UFC Fight Night Winners 

Mayra Bueno Silva 

I won’t go so far as to proclaim the women’s bantamweight division as the hottest division in the organization, but there’s finally a positive buzz around it. It isn’t just that Bueno Silva’s ascent adds new blood; it’s that she has managed to climb the ranks on the back of three consecutive submission finishes. Part of the stagnation of the bantamweight division has been due to a lack of dynamism within the division. For instance, Raquel Pennington, considered to be a likely combatant for the vacant title, only has three finishes in her twelve UFC wins. Bueno Silva only has one decision in her six UFC wins. 

There’s no guarantee Bueno Silva’s next contest will be for the title, but she has a four-fight winning streak to back her up. That’s only exceeded by Pennington’s five, one of which came in a featherweight contest. Julianna Pena, the other major option for a title shot, has been rubbing a wide swath of fans the wrong way with her outlandish proclamations. If Dana White is listening to the fanbase – sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t — Bueno Silva will slide past Pena into an opportunity to be the division’s new queen. 

Bassil Hafez 

No, Hafez didn’t get his hand raised in the end. Despite that, he want from being an unknown on the outside of the UFC to giving Jack Della Maddalena the toughest test of his UFC career in just a single week. Not only did he give JDM the toughest test, he came thisclose to pulling off the upset, convincing one of the judges that he was the superior fighter. Given JDM has a number next to his name – and has been called by many one of the best prospects in the sport – that’s a hell of an accomplishment.  

I would caution pundits about putting too much emphasis on this performance. Not that I don’t think Hafez doesn’t belong in the UFC; that’s established. I would foreworn against boosting expectations too much. Y’all remember how much hype Lando Vannata produced in his UFC debut against Tony Ferguson? He did follow that up with a spectacular KO of John Makdessi, but he’s never come close to matching the hype from his debut. Hafez could, but I can’t help but recommend approaching with caution. 

Evan Elder 

When Elder was signed to the UFC, he didn’t have a reputation as an exciting fighter. He was considered to be a decent striker, but it was expected his ground game would be his primary route to success. It took three fights into his UFC career before he finally secured his first win over Genaro Valdez, but he has also successfully flipped his reputation into that of a solid action fighter. Given it was an evening in which there were a lot of ho-hum fights, that’s about the best development that could be hoped for. 

While Elder has been able to flip his reputation in terms of the entertainment value he brings, I haven’t seen enough in his skill set to say he’ll be able to crack the official UFC rankings. Part of that is his own limited athleticism, part of it is the overall depth of lightweight. Regardless, even if he doesn’t become a contender, the best way to ensure a long UFC tenure outside of being one of the best, it’s to be a consistent action fighter. I’d say Elder is on his way to doing that. 

UFC Fight Night Losers 

Chelsea Chandler 

I really hope Chandler has a good sense of humor. She’d better because she’s going to be an MMA meme for the rest of her life. Early in her contest with Norma Dumont, Chandler ate a hard combination from the Brazilian. In an effort to give herself some breathing room, Chandler turned her back on Dumont and ran directly in the opposite direction, not stopping until she ran into the fence. While it was successful in providing her a brief respite, Dumont wasn’t far behind. Regardless, Chandler had successfully cemented her spot in MMA social media by then. 

Given the circumstances, Chandler’s overall performance wasn’t too bad. Not only had she fought just over half as many times as Dumont, she also hadn’t fought the level of competition Dumont has. Thus, even though her loss was fairly one-sided, she wouldn’t have ended up on this list if it was solely based on the entirety of her performance. But becoming a meme? Yeah, that’s something you’d better have thick skin for. Only time will tell if Chandler does. 

Terrance McKinney 

It’s official: the buzz around McKinney is dead. The athletic freak burst on the UFC scene by securing a KO victory in just seven seconds in his UFC debut. After one more quick win, he came thisclose to upending the double tough Drew Dober before fading and getting finished before the end of the opening round. The bloom wasn’t off the rose quite yet given the reputation of Dober, but it did indicate a hard ceiling if McKinney didn’t learn to extend himself beyond three minutes of a fight. For the second consecutive fight, McKinney couldn’t survive beyond the first round. 

I suppose we might be able to extend McKinney’s window to four minutes given he controlled Nazim Sadykhov that long, but it’s still the same story. It didn’t appear to be a deplete gas tank this time around, but McKinney appeared to be out of answers when his takedowns weren’t working. Given McKinney’s incredible physique, it appears his issues are more mental than anything. If he can find a way to get his head in the right place, he’s a contender. Otherwise, while I believe McKinney will hang around for a while, he’ll be nothing more than an action fighter. Not a bad fate, but he’s capable of more. 

Ashlee Evans-Smith 

Prior to this event, the last time Evans-Smith fought was in the fall of 2020. Her last win came in the spring of 2018. There was every indication that the fight game had passed her by, especially given those losses since that last victory weren’t exactly competitive. Those thoughts were confirmed with authority as Evans-Smith lost one of the most one-sided decisions in recent memory against an opponent who was smothered by Stephanie Egger in Ailin Perez’s only UFC contest. That’s a terrible look. 

I won’t ever doubt the toughness of Evans-Smith as she refused to succumb to the constant volume of Perez, but it’s clear her heart isn’t in fighting anymore. In a sport like basketball or tennis, you can get away with not having your heart in it. You can’t do that in the fighting game and not seriously risk major long-term repercussions. I anticipate the UFC will release her, but that doesn’t mean Evans-Smith will be retiring. I hope she does. I have no desire to see her fight again, not after the drubbing she suffered against Perez.

Jump to…

UFC 290 has come and gone and it proved to be one of the better cards of the year. In fact, it was arguably the event of 2023 thus far. The only thing holding it back from taking that title in an indisputable manner was the lack of drama in the main event, which saw Alexander Volkanovski extinguish Yair Rodriguez in the third round. Outside of that, there were four sub-minute finishes in the card and a candidate for FOTY in the co-main event between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Moreno.

But who were the real winners and losers of the event? Sure, 13 UFC fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

Winners 

Alexandre Pantoja 

I wanted to see Pantoja fight Moreno for the third time when Moreno first claimed the flyweight title. Instead, we got two more fights with Deiveson Figueiredo. While I’m not going to complain about the quality of that quadrilogy, Pantoja proved why I was so keen on seeing them square off earlier. Providing one of the guttiest performances we’ve ever seen, Pantoja scratched and clawed his way to a split decision victory over Moreno. Even more impressive, I don’t know a person who believed Pantoja would be the one with his hand raised if the fight went the full 25. 

Given flyweights tend to have a shorter shelf life than other weight divisions, this win kind of reminds me of Michael Bisping’s title victory. Several times, Pantoja was on the verge of a title shot only to have an untimely loss. When he finally gets his shot, it’s against someone he has faced before and secures the upset to claim the title after he’s arguably past his prime. At 33, it seems unlikely Pantoja will have an extended run with the belt, but this victory does serve as a nice capstone to one of the more underrated runs in the history of the organization. Well… underrated up until this point. 

Dricus du Plessis 

Du Plessis’ road to the top has been one of the ugliest journeys I have ever seen. There hasn’t been a single fight where he was winning from bell to bell. In fact, in most of those fights, he’s either been clearly behind on the cards or on the verge of being put away. And yet, the native of South Africa has managed to remain undefeated through six UFC contests, including his win over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Most impressive is that it didn’t feel fluky like some of his other victories did. 

There’s no question who du Plessis is fighting next as Israel Adesanya was in the cage after du Plessis secured his second round stoppage over Whittaker. While it was the most cringe-inducing face off I can remember – through no fault of du Plessis – it is clear this won’t be a run-of-the-mill title fight. There’s bad blood between Adesanya and du Plessis… and if that face off is any indication, du Plessis is already in the head of Adesanya. I didn’t expect it to happen, but I’ll happily take in that fight. 

Robbie Lawler 

Daniel Cormier kept saying there are no fairy tale endings in MMA. I’m not saying that sentiment is wrong, but there’s always an exception to the rule. I’m happy to say Lawler proved to be the exception. Lawler entered the contest having lost five of his previous six fights, the lone victory coming over a guy who hadn’t stepped foot in the cage in almost seven years before clashing with Lawler in Nick Diaz. Lawler had every appearance of being washed. Instead, he proved to be as good once as he ever was. 

Lawler didn’t take any damage in his 39 seconds of work, delivering a series of picture-perfect punches on Niko Price that caused Price to melt right before our eyes. I don’t want to call it a vintage Lawler performance – only because that would require both Lawler and his opponent to be covered in blood by the end – but it was the fairy tale ending that we tend to never see in MMA. It’s good to see the exception to the rule happen, especially to someone like Lawler who has already shed so much blood over his career. 

Losers 

Yair Rodriguez 

Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh, but this was Rodriguez’s moment in the sun. He had been hyped up as the most unique challenger for Volkanovski’s title heading into the contest. It was hard not to see him in that light given the creativity he has displayed over the years. Remember his jumping kick KO of Andre Fili? I know we all remember his elbow of the Korean Zombie. If Rodriguez could at least make it an entertaining contest, most MMA fans would say Rodriguez did his job. That didn’t happen. 

Outside of a brief sequence in the middle of the third round, Volkanovski was successful in stifling Rodriguez. In fact, outside of Volkanovski’s contest with the Korean Zombie, this was the Volkanovski title fight with the least amount of drama/entertainment value. Given the poor showing, it’s unlikely Rodriguez will get another shot at the title, provided Volkanovski doesn’t look like he’s going to be relinquishing it at any time. 

Israel Adesanya 

I know he didn’t fight, but are you really going to disagree with me? I won’t deny that the heated exchange between Adesanya and du Plessis adds the type of heat that will sell PPV’s. So Adesanya’s continued usage of a particular slur as he faced off with du Plessis will have a positive effect in that sense. However, the issue is he did so by sacrificing all his dignity. I get that he’s upset du Plessis has referred to himself as the true African given he still trains out of the continent, but to result to that slur over and over again? I would expect more from someone who has been praised for their creativity so often. 

The question I have is whether he gets a pass. Given what we’ve seen before, I think he will. Adesanya has a history of saying/doing stupid things. For instance, he told Kevin Holland he would “rape” him back in 2021. He mocked Alex Pereira’s son after defeating his dad. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. At what point does straw break the camel’s back? Even if he was drunk – and I believe he was – that’s on him. He knew there was a very good chance he would be stepping into the cage, even if Whittaker emerged victorious.  

Shannon Ross 

This might seem to be an odd choice for some. Ross was expected to lose to Jesus Aguilar, so why would he be one of the biggest losers on the evening? If y’all saw the fight, there’s a lot less questioning why Ross is here. If y’all know Ross’ UFC history, that should complete the circle for why he’s one of the bigger losers on the night. Given I can’t find anyone who has said a bad think about his work ethic or his personality, it makes it more painful. 

Ross suffered one of the most violent KO’s of the year, eating a massive overhand from Aguilar that had Ross’ head bouncing off the canvas at UFC 290. The stoppage came just 17 seconds into the contest. That follows a 59 second loss in his official UFC debut. His best showing under the UFC umbrella came in his DWCS contest when he was dealing with appendicitis. Given how he has shown in his recent contests, the 34-year-old is at the end of his rope… if he was ever UFC caliber to begin with. 

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Another UFC Fight Night come and gone and UFC Vegas 76 was a night full of upsets. It wasn’t just squeaking by with a little bit of help from the judges either. The majority of the upsets were emphatic finishes, the UFC fighters making a huge statement about their perceived disrespect. The main event between Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov, wasn’t one of those upsets, Strickland handily turning away the unproven Magomedov in the second round. 

Unfortunately for Strickland, the win over Magomedov does little for his standing. Magomedov is so far out of the sphere of the rankings that the win is nothing more than a paycheck for Strickland. Thus, there’s no way I could consider Strickland one of the bigger winners of the night. 

But who were the real winners and losers of the event? Sure, 12 UFC fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

Winners 

Grant Dawson 

It wasn’t a pretty win, but Dawson dominated Damir Ismagulov in a manner that no one had previously done. In the process, it re-ignited interest in the former featherweight in a manner that his victories over aged competition was unable to do. Ismagulov is somebody who had given Armen Tsarukyan fits and I don’t believe there was anyone entering the event who would have proclaimed Dawson to be a superior fighter to Tsarukyan. Now, Dawson’s utter superiority over Ismagulov creates a hell of a launching point to make that argument. 

Perhaps Ismagulov’s dalliance with retirement should have been a sign that Ismagulov didn’t have his head in the right place. However, I’d counter Ismagulov’s head probably wasn’t in the right place for the Tsarukyan fight either as he retired almost immediately after that contest. Despite that, Dawson was far more dominant that Tsarukyan. Thus, I’m of the opinion Dawson’s performance doesn’t deserve an asterisk. It’s amazing what happens when a UFC fighter finds the right camp for themselves….  

Nursulton Ruziboev 

If I’m being honest, I thought Ruziboev was a fraud entering the event. Yes, he has size and plenty of experience, but short on quality experience. Then again, even if you aren’t facing the best opponents all the time, you’re still learning with each appearance. Ruziboev proved he was learning how to use his reach as he didn’t allow the dangerous Brunno Ferriera to get near him. Even more impressive, he put the previously unbeaten Brazilian away with a vicious counter that put him to sleep. No one likes to admit they’re wrong, but I was very wrong about Ruziboev. 

The question now is how much all that experience wears on his body. If it hasn’t taken a huge toll, Ruziboev is entering his physical prime at the age of 29 and should have the best coaching available to him as there has been at any point in his career. I know it’s just one win over an opponent with just one UFC win himself, but Ruziboev fought perfectly for the short time the fight lasted. If he can approach every UFC fight with just as perfectly planned of a strategy, he could be a major dark horse at 185. 

Elves Brenner 

It’s hard to believe any UFC fighter who has their hand raised after walking into the cage as a 5-to-1 underdog wouldn’t be one of the bigger winners on the evening. Given Brenner very well might have been saved by the bell at the end of the first makes it that much sweeter. The Brazilian was hurt quite badly by Guram Kutateladze at the end of the opening round, not to mention fighting most of the contest with a crimson mask on his face from a nasty cut. Many – myself included – had a lot of questions about Brenner even deserving his UFC roster spot. Those questions have evaporated. 

That isn’t to say there aren’t still questions about Brenner. Hell, there’s questions about every UFC fighter, including the elite. But no one doubts his heart and toughness any longer, nor his ability to hang in an ugly fight. That said, there are some circumstances surrounding Kutateladze to leave us wondering if the win is of the quality we believe it to be at the moment, but only time will tell. Regardless, I’m confident we’ll see Brenner hanging around the organization for a long time. 

Losers 

Ismael Bonfim 

I’m still high on Bonfim, but he fought like an idiot against Benoit Saint-Denis. Bonfim showed the Frenchman zero respect, encouraging him to continue to throw kicks at him uncontested. They were hurting enough that Bonfim began trying to do more than just block the kicks, but a fair share of damage was already done by that point. It looked like Bonfim experienced an early adrenaline dump too, not having the energy to escape or protect himself from the predations of Saint-Denis on the mat. 

It is Bonfim’s first loss in nine years and he’s still only 27, meaning it isn’t a longshot for him to climb his way into contention yet. However, the bloom is off the rose with this loss. How he upended Terrence McKinney had him potentially fast tracked up to the top. Unless he can rebound with some spectacular finishes – note the plural there – it’s going to be a slower road than it would have previously been. UFC fighters want to peak when they’re at or near the top, not on their way there. This loss makes the latter scenario more likely. 

Kevin Lee 

Six years ago, Lee was just 24 with a 9-2 UFC record, soon to be fighting Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title at UFC 216. The thought was he was going to be a mainstay in the lightweight division for a long time. Since then, he has gone 2-6 in the UFC. There’s plenty of reasons that could be discussed for that slide. Weight management could certainly be discussed as he has lost all three of his UFC fights at 170. Perhaps maturity, something that falls in line with his weight management. I’d even argue he has physically peaked as he hasn’t looked right in his last few contests. 

It’s possible Lee just got caught, with the UFC fight with Rinat Fakhretdinov lasting less than a minute after Lee was clocked early. Maybe he has matured as the broadcast continually suggested. But losing that fast only contributes further to the idea he should be fighting at lightweight. However, I have to admit I’m not close enough to the situation to know if that’s unrealistic at this point. A fighter’s body is vastly different at 24 than it is at 30. Regardless, all indications point to Lee being finished as a UFC fighter of note. I pray that I’m wrong. 

Blagoy Ivanov 

I get that some will argue vehemently on my inclusion of Ivanov here. He lost a competitive fight to Alexandr Romanov in a fight where Romanov was the favorite. What’s so bad about that? More than anything, this is a culmination of Ivanov’s disappointing run. Entering the organization as a main eventer in his debut, Ivanov was expected to be a prime-time player. While Ivanov has received some difficult competition — I believe every one of his opponents has had a number next to their name – the results have been poor as he now sits at 3-5. 

It isn’t just that Ivanov hasn’t been able to deliver wins; it’s that he has been unable to deliver any sort of entertaining contests. Eight fights into his UFC career, not only has he failed to secure any sort of Performance Bonus, he’s been unable to avoid going 15 minutes in any of his contests. Against Romanov, he was delivered an opponent with a history of finishes. Despite that, Ivanov again went to decision. Now that he’s lost four out of his last five, I’m expecting the UFC to cut him loose. Not because he’s one of the worst heavyweights on the roster; it’s because he’s one of the worst to watch.

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Jump to

Join us today (June 24) as we cover the UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria fight card. The main event features #5 ranked featherweight, Josh Emmett, looking to get back on track against the #9 ranked Ilia Topuria. The start time for the event is 11:30 AM ET/8:30 AM PT.

Emmett is coming off his first loss since 2018, coming up short against Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title just over four months ago. The 38-year-old is looking to get back on track in a hurry, looking to be the first to hang an “O” on the undefeated brickhouse that is Topuria.

The co-main event features a pair of women’s flyweights who are vying to emerge as a potential title challenger. The #11 ranked Maycee Barber has managed to mature into a physical presence in the division that her opposition can hope to outmuscle while the savvy #9 ranked Amanda Ribas rebounded after dropping her debut at 125.

There’s also the #13 ranked middleweight Brendan Allen looking to turn away the powerful Bruno Silva and the #11 ranked welterweight Neil Magny hoping to hold off the similarly lanky Philip Rowe.

To get a feel for how our staff sees the UFC fight card playing out, our picks are here.

Full UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria fight card results

Main Card

• Ilia Topuria def. Josh Emmett via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-42, 49-45) | Featherweight

• Maycee Barber def. Amanda Ribas via TKO (punches) at 3:42 of RD2 | Women’s Flyweight

• Austen Lane fought Justin Tafa to a no contest due to eye poke at 0:29 of RD1 | Heavyweight

• David Onama def. Gabriel Santos via KO (punches) at 4:13 of RD2 | Featherweight

• Brendan Allen def. Bruno Silva via submission (RNC) at 4:39 of RD1 | Middleweight

Prelims

• Neil Magny def. Philip Rowe via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) | Welterweight

• Randy Brown def. Wellington Turman via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) | Middleweight

• Mateusz Rebecki def. Loik Radzhabov via TKO (punch and leg kicks) at 2:36 of RD2 | Lightweight

• Tabatha Ricci def. Gillian Robertson via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27) | Women’s Strawweight
• Joshua Van def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) | Flyweight

• Chepe Mariscal def. Trevor Peek via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) | Lightweight

• Jack Jenkins def. Jamall Emmers via split decision (29-28 x2, 27-30) | Featherweight

• Sedrique Dumas def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) | Middleweight

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Another UFC Fight Night come and gone, more bodies left in the wake. Well… perhaps that isn’t the best way to put it, but there was certainly some carnage left in the cage of UFC on ABC 5. In the main event, Ilia Topuria punched his ticket into the upper echelon of the division by laying waste to power punching Josh Emmett. He didn’t get the finish, but he did lay down one of the most epic beatings in recent memory, rivaling that which Jared Cannonier put on Marvin Vettori just a week earlier. 

But who were the real winners and losers of the event? Sure, 12 fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in! 

Winners 

Maycee Barber 

There was no doubt this time around. After securing controversial wins over Miranda Maverick and Andrea Lee, Barber’s haters had been very vocal about her being a fraud. They can’t make that claim this time around. Barber put away Amanda Ribas in the second round after first bloodying her up in the first. Ribas couldn’t deal with the physicality of Barber when they engaged in close quarters. It wasn’t due to a lack of effort from Ribas either; Barber broke her with her sheer will… along with her punches of course. 

The disrespect for Barber should stop at this point, though I have my doubts it ever will. She rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in the early days of her UFC run and people are often slow to forgive. The strength of her finish over Ribas will win over a few, but hopefully she knows she’ll never win over everyone. Regardless, Barber should be getting a notable step up in competition, someone like Katlyn Chookagian or Manon Fiorot. In other words, she may just be one win away from a title shot. I don’t think too many of us thought that would be the case at the beginning of the year. 

Brendan Allen 

It may have featured a bit more drama than what a good coach would like to see, but Allen managed to make a statement when he submitted the always tough Bruno Silva within the first round. Then again, given his reputation as being chinny, perhaps it was good for Allen to prove to the UFC brass he can withstand heavy leather to the chin. In the process, it made the contest that much more fun to take in as Allen landed more than his share of striking offense too. In other words, whether some fans like it or not, putting on an entertaining scrap is often just as important as winning in terms of ascending the ladder. 

Allen’s haters will point out he was supposed to beat Silva anyway. That’s true, but he did it in a manner that screams he’s ready for bigger things. It could have been argued he was merely in a favorable matchup when he defeated Andre Muniz. That argument loses a lot of steam as Silva and Muniz are very different fighters. In other words, Allen isn’t a flavor of the month. He’s the real deal and he’s ready for some tougher contests at 185. 

Mateusz Rebecki 

No one on the card did more to change the perception about their ceiling more than Rebecki. Sure, Barber and Allen reached higher heights, but everyone knew they could get to where they are at if they were able to put everything together. For Rebecki, the perception has been he’s too short with a limited gas tank, meaning he’d be lucky to hit the mid-tier of the division and stay there for a while. Given the way he chewed up the legs of Loik Radzhabov, he opened the eyes of a bunch of us that he could very well do more than that. 

Before my critics get too uppity, I’m hardly declaring him a future contender. But could he fill an action fighting role flittering in and out of the official rankings ala Drew Dober? I could see that now. I couldn’t before the event. Rebecki isn’t oblivious to his restrictions. Given some of his contests on the regional scene and his UFC debut, I wasn’t sure about that prior to his contest with Radzhabov. Against Radzhobov, Rebecki put together a flawless strategy, showing a fight IQ that I wasn’t sure was there. Combine that with his power and Rebecki looks like he could be around for more than just a cup of coffee. 

Losers 

Josh Emmett 

The question was whether Emmett was a bigger loser than Ilia Topuria was a winner. I ended up deciding Emmett was a bigger loser for a couple of reasons. First, Emmett endured a hell of a beating, rivaling that which Marvin Vettori took a week earlier. Secondly, at 38, he’s likely to be out of the title picture permanently with the loss. Plus, while there’s no doubt Topuria was a big winner, there’s no guarantee he gets a title shot out of this win. I’d throw him in the winner column ahead of Emmett being in the loser column if I knew he’d be fighting for gold next, but we don’t know that. 

If Emmett plays his cards right, he still has a couple of wins in himself, despite his age. He proved he’s still got a freakish amount of durability. He also proved he hasn’t lost his power, hurting Topuria on several occasions. However, he was also a step slower than Topuria and it’s hard to believe he’ll remain as durable as ever after that level of beating. Chins have a shelf life; ask Dan Henderson or Chuck Liddell about that. Emmett’s chin didn’t break in this contest, but he did shorten its shelf life. 

Zhalgas Zhumagulov 

Zhumagulov is probably going to be cut following another loss. What’s bad about that is most would agree he’s better than a good chunk of the flyweights who are on the roster. Unfortunately, he’s consistently been dealt a tough hand in terms of his matchups. Even this loss to Joshua Van falls into that category. Everyone who watched the film of Van prior to this contest would acknowledge Van was the better athlete by a wide margin. The thought was Zhumagulov’s experience would prove to be too much for the 21-year-old Van. Instead, Van fought beyond his years and overwhelmed Zhumagulov down the stretch. 

If there’s any consolation, Zhumagulov is probably going to go down as the best UFC fighter to ever sport a 1-6 record in the organization, but it’s not like that’s high praise. Plus, at 34, it isn’t like he’s expected to improve at this point in his career. Even with the loss to Van, it’s more than Van exceeded expectations than Zhumagulov performing poorly. Thus — and I can’t believe I’m saying this – I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Zhumagulov fight in the UFC again, though I’m not expecting it. After all, it may not tell the whole story, but you are what your record says you are.

Jamall Emmers 

It seems inevitable at least one person per card is going to get the short end of the stick from the judges. As anyone who has followed the sport for any significant period of time has heard, I’m aware of the mantra “Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges,” but you’d like to think it’s a viable alternative when you’re fighting the toughest competitors on the planet refuse to go down. I’m not saying I definitively know how to solve the issue of judging, but I would think some form of experimentation would be acceptable to see if we can at least achieve better results. 

For the record, I don’t think Emmers’ loss was a robbery by definition. The first two rounds were close enough that they could have gone either way. However, the third round was unquestionably Emmers’ round, a lot of wrestling control used by Emmers to hold Jenkins down. By the letter of the law, I understand Jenkins taking the first two rounds; thus he scores the win. But when two rounds could go either way, you’d think it would make more sense that the guy who one at least one round hands down would be the victor. Again, I know it doesn’t work that way, but at least admit you understand where I’m coming from? 

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It’s another UFC Fight Night weekend with no end in sight. Not that I’m complaining, at least not this week. There’s some quality UFC fights for this AM card on ABC, even if they are on the understated side. In fact, in terms of pure competitiveness, the main event between Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria appears to be one of the least interesting contests. For those close UFC fights – as well as the more obvious contests – I’ve got all the answers for how things will play out with my Bold Predictions. 

Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria | Featherweight 

For someone whose last UFC fight was for an interim title, Emmett sure is getting a lot of disrespect thrown his way. His loss to Yair Rodriguez was his first loss in five years and nary a fan thinks he’s going to emerge victorious against Topuria. Then again, Emmett is 38, has a long injury history, and has become a one-dimensional UFC fighter as he gets deeper into his career. Throw in that he didn’t even look remotely competitive against Rodriguez and it isn’t hard to see why he’s being written off. Hell, I haven’t even touched on how good Topuria is.

Topuria is a more athletic and less weathered version of Emmett. Topuria is on the short side for the division, but he packs a hell of a punch in addition to having an exceptionally strong wrestling base. Topuria is young enough too that he’s perfectly happy to use his wrestling on a regular basis as opposed to just out of desperation. Topuria is also more decorated with his BJJ than Emmett. About the only thing where Topuria doesn’t appear to have an edge over Emmett is in the power department. Oh… and the striking defense is a concern too. 

Topuria doesn’t mind eating one to deliver one given he packs one hell of a punch. But does he really want to try that with Emmett? Emmett is used to playing the role of underdog – in more ways than one – and finding some way to land that one power shot that changes the entire course of the UFC fight. That’s either putting an immediate end to it or putting the fear of God into his opponent. However, indications are Emmett is pressing. He’s never attempted a turnaround off a loss this quick before. Things normally don’t turn out well for a typically patient veteran who begins to press. 

Prediction: Topuria via TKO of RD2 

Amanda Ribas vs. Maycee Barber | Women’s Flyweight 

Barber hasn’t been able to fully recover her lost hype – though she has maintained the vitriol fans harbored for her – but she has certainly done her part to earn it back. Her fight IQ can be questioned, but her work ethic can’t, nor can her physical strength. There’s no question she’ll be physically stronger than Ribas. The question is whether she can be slick enough to outmaneuver the tricky Brazilian. All indications from the peanut gallery are that Ribas has this in the bag, but I’m not so sure. 

Ribas hasn’t been easy to hold down on the mat, but she has also been fighting at 115 for the majority of her UFC career. Some may point out Barber used to fight at 115 herself, but the last time Barber fought there was almost five years ago at the age of 20. Barber is an absolute bull and Ribas can be finished. Ultimately, while I have more hesitation than the general populace, I do ultimately agree with them that Ribas ultimately has speed and athleticism to outwork the younger UFC fighter, but I wouldn’t ever consider putting money on it. 

Prediction: Ribas via decision 

Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa | Heavyweight 

Lane has almost every advantage in this UFC fight. He’s more athletic. He’s longer. He’s better conditioned. He’s probably even the better ground fighter. However, there’s two areas that Tafa holds clear cut advantages in: power and durability. Tafa’s defense is worse than Lane, but Tafa isn’t going to crumble if Lane lands something clean on his chin. The same won’t be true if Tafa connects on Lane. There’s an outside chance Lane avoids the killshot and outpoints Tafa, but I wouldn’t count on it. 

Prediction: Tafa via KO of RD1 

David Onama vs. Gabriel Santos | Featherweight 

While Onama has made visible strides in his UFC run, it still feels like he’s far from being a finished product. Either that, or he’s never going to be known for his fight IQ. The mistakes he makes are the types that are typically attributed to inexperience, so there’s hope his power and wrestling can shine through. However, even though Santos has less professional experience, he’s a far more polished product, particularly on the mat. Santos is slick enough with his takedowns, I see him exercising enough control to take a close decision in this UFC fight. 

Prediction: Santos via decision 

Brendan Allen vs. Bruno Silva | Middleweight 

After Allen’s win over Andre Muniz, Santos looks like a step backwards. Then again, Silva is also the type of fighter Allen has struggled with. While well-rounded, Allen has a history of accepting his opponent’s fight. More concerning than that – at least against Silva – his chin has proven to be crackable against the craftiest of strikers. Silva isn’t a technical marvel, but he’s proven to be savvy at putting his fist on his opponent’s chin… and few have more power. 

What made Allen’s win over Muniz so impressive was he controlled large portions of the fight on the mat against the skilled grappler. However, he was also selective about when the fight hit the mat, showing a greater ability to dictate where the fight takes place than he has in the past. Thus, while the risk factor of him accepting his opponent’s fight is still there, he’s far more calculated in his risks than he has been in the past. For that reason, I say Silva is a test he’ll be able to pass before moving on to bigger UFC fights. 

Prediction: Allen via decision 

Neil Magny vs. Philip Rowe | Welterweight 

There isn’t a single area in which Magny excels. However, there also isn’t a single area in which he has a significant weakness. That is, provided he isn’t facing an elite grappler. Fortunately for Magny, Rowe is more of a striker than he is a grappler, at least in the UFC. Despite that, there’s been plenty of buzz that Rowe is in position to upend the welterweight division’s eternal gatekeeper as Magny has been showing signs of age. At 35 with 29 previous UFC fights, it isn’t an unreasonable position to be taking. 

It helps Rowe’s cause that he’s making strides in every one of his UFC contests. Whether it’s growing more comfortable with the use of his reach – he’s one of the few who can match Magny in that department – or identifying an opponent’s weakness. However, Magny is a HUGE step up for him and Rowe’s takedown defense is weak. Plus, I haven’t seen enough out of Rowe in the clinch to be convinced he’ll be able to avoid falling into the type of fight Magny excels at. It’ll be a hell of a learning experience for Rowe… provided he can make weight for this UFC fight. 

Prediction: Magny via decision 

Randy Brown vs. Wellington Turman | Welterweight 

Given his strong grappling base, Turman is likely making the right move going down to 170. Unfortunately for him, it’s a much deeper division and Brown is still bigger and more athletic than Turman. Most damning, Brown has improved his wrestling greatly from his early UFC fights. If the bout stays standing, Turman doesn’t have the power or technique to compete with the lankier Brown. This is my most confident pick on the card. 

Prediction: Brown via decision 

Mateusz Rebecki vs. Loik Radzhabov | Lightweight 

As wide as he is tall, Rebecki is a hard-charging spark plug. Of course, anyone who knows MMA history knows those type have a limited ceiling in a division like lightweight in the modern day. Stylistically, Radzhabov is similar Rebecki, emphasizing power shots and takedowns. However, Radzhabov has faced superior competition and doesn’t have the same history of gassing out that Rebecki has. It feels logical to believe Rebecki is going to hit a hard wall in this UFC fight. 

Prediction: Radzhabov via decision 

Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson | Women’s Strawweight 

Robertson looked like a world-beater in her strawweight debut. Her wrestling was immensely more effective now that she’s the bigger and stronger UFC fighter, playing well into her opportunistic submission stylings. However, while she is bigger than Ricci, she isn’t as technical on the mat, nor is she as aggressive on the feet. Ricci has faced solid grapplers and mopped the floor with them. Combine that with Robertson’s willingness to work off her back and I see Ricci being a terrible matchup for the Canadian. 

Prediction: Ricci via decision 

Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Joshua Van | Flyweight 

There isn’t a person who doesn’t like what they’ve seen from Van. He’s athletic, explosive, and has a killer instinct that could make him a real force in the flyweight division. He’s also 21 with almost no attention paid to maintaining a reasonable form of defense. Against a wily veteran like Zhumagulov, he’ll have a hard time overwhelming him. Zhumagulov isn’t a great athlete, but he’s seen it all and knows how to make a UFC fight gritty and grimy in addition to being tough as nails. Van could be a major player in the future, but this is likely a learning experience for him. 

Prediction: Zhumagulov via decision 

Trevor Peek vs. Chepe Mariscal | Lightweight 

At this juncture, Mariscal is the better UFC fighter. He’s got more high-level experience, better wins, a better gas tank, and is the more technical fighter by a wide margin. However, he’s also a natural featherweight and stylistically matches up poorly with the hard-hitting Peek. Being a late replacement for this UFC fight doesn’t help his case either. In other words, I get where so many are picking Peek. Despite that, I see Mariscal surviving the early onslaught and taking advantage of a flagging Peek. 

Prediction: Mariscal via TKO of RD3 

Jamall Emmers vs. Jack Jenkins | Featherweight 

It doesn’t take a lot of footage to see Jenkins has a limited ceiling thanks to his physical tools restricting him. It also doesn’t take a lot to see his hard-nosed approach means he’ll be breaking many opponents more gifted than himself. I’m not sure Emmers is one he’ll be able to do that to. Emmers has excellent takedown defense and has refined his outside striking to take advantage of his freakish reach. He’s also a big step up from anything the much smaller Jenkins has faced. Emmers will be too much for the action-fighting Aussie in this UFC fight. 

Prediction: Emmers via decision 

Tatsuro Taira vs. Kleydson Rodrigues | Flyweight 

Expectations are high for both these youthful 125ers, but particularly Taira. The Japanese native is tight and technical on the mat, both in his wrestling and grappling. While his striking is coming along, it still isn’t quite at the level of what Rodrigues can offer in this UFC fight. The Brazilian is explosive with wicked low kicks. However, he has long stretches where his technique slips and a questionable gas tank. Those aren’t issues for Taira. The route is there for Rodrigues, but there aren’t as many bumps in the road for Taira’s path to have his hand raised. 

Prediction: Taira via submission of RD3 

Cody Brundage vs. Sedriques Dumas | Middleweight 

Many prognosticators – myself included – were blinded by Dumas athleticism an immense frame for his debut UFC fight, ignoring his fraudulent record. That doesn’t mean he isn’t talented, but he’s still got a lot to learn, and the UFC isn’t the best place to be doing that. Brundage is no world beater, but he’s hardened himself against much tougher competition than Dumas and his in-your-face style should prove problematic for Dumas. Brundage’s chin might give bettors reason to pause, but his grinding out Dumas is the most likely outcome in this UFC fight. 

Prediction: Brundage via submission of RD2 

Jump to

There wasn’t a lot of hype around UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier. Despite that, those who opted to tune in were richly rewarded for taking the time to check out the UFC’s latest version of random fights. Though ultimately proving to be one-sided, Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori put together a dark horse candidate for FOTY. Cannonier displayed his power and stamina while putting together a middleweight record number of significant strikes. Vettori proved he may be the toughest SOB on the planet, though he paid a heavy price to do so.

The rest of the fights largely delivered as well, answering some questions while creating new ones after UFC Vegas 75. For instance, though Arman Tsarukyan ultimately defeated Joaquim Silva, was the performance impressive enough to get him the step up in competition he’s been demanding? What about Armen Petrosyan’s call for a top 15 opponent? And will Manuel Torres be fast-tracked after back-to-back highlight reel finishes? 

To answer those questions—and a bit more—I’ll be using Zane’s classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually go from my head, to print, and finally inside the UFC cage. Now, let’s get to the fights! 

Jared Cannonier 

Cannonier is the hardest fighter to figure out what to do with, at least immediately. That’s because the former heavyweight’s situation is completely dependent on what happens between Robert Whittaker and Dricuss Du Plessis at UFC 290. Should Du Plessis win, the South African native is likely to get a crack at Israel Adesanya’s belt. Should Whittaker emerge victorious, Cannonier’s hopes for a rematch with Adesanya improve dramatically. 

That’s because Cannonier did everything he needed to do get people onboard with the idea of him again fighting for a belt. In fact, it’s likely he benefits from not having finished Vettori when he had the Italian on the ropes. Cannonier’s performance against Adesanya was perhaps the most ho-hum of Adesanya’s defenses. He was fairly tepid and didn’t push much of a pace. Against Vettori, Cannonier was anything but tepid, pushing an insane pace over five rounds. This version of Cannonier has me willing to advocate for a rematch, something I didn’t think I’d ever be doing.

Unfortunately, Cannonier’s fate is dependent on Du Plessis. While Cannonier is still improving, he is 39, meaning the fall off the cliff can occur at any moment. Du Plessis would likely benefit from more seasoning before fighting Adesanya, but you also take title shots when you get the opportunity. Should Du Plessis get the opportunity, pit Cannonier against the winner of Paulo Costa/Ikram Aliskerov. Should Whittaker win – the most likely scenario – I’m ready to see Adesanya and Cannonier run it back for the title. 

Marvin Vettori 

It might be a while before we see Vettori again. His body could use a long layoff to heal up. It’s not like he’s been inactive anyway; this was his third fight in just over nine months. In terms of matchmaking, that’s probably beneficial as Vettori has fought so many of the names within his radar that it might be best to let some of the scheduled matches within the division sort themselves out before choosing the best direction for him. 

At this juncture, I’d be looking to use Vettori as a gatekeeper. In addition to Cannonier, losses to Adesanya and Whittaker establish he’s not quite at the top of the division. Thus, gun to my head, I’m probably not going with the classic Silva formula for this one. Kelvin Gastelum looks like he’d produce a FOTN scrap with Vettori, but rumor is he wants another go at 170. However, Nassourdine Imavov was on pace for victory last week before some unfortunate circumstances. He creates a unique challenge for Vettori. Imavov vs. Vettori is a perfectly reasonable matchup. 

Arman Tsarukyan 

There’s no doubt Tsarukyan is persona non grata in the lightweight division. His lack of name recognition combined with how good he really is creates a space where anyone is reluctant to sign the dotted line against him. And while he was dominant against Joaquim Silva, he needed a special performance against the Brazilian striker to get the needle moved for him. Tsarukyan did what he needed to keep from suffering any slippage, but it wasn’t the special showing he needed to improve his circumstance. I don’t see Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, or Justin Gaethje being willing to step in the cage with him.

Tsarukyan is fortunate enough to have a couple of names potentially available. He’s also smart enough to recognize those are his best options, already mentioning both names. Beneil Dariush just had his eight-fight win streak snapped by Oliveira and has been willing to fight just about anyone. Michael Chandler’s immediate fighting future is in the air as Conor McGregor, whom Chandler was anticipated to fight soon, has another legal situation to sort out. Thus, the most likely fight for Tsarukyan appears to be Dariush. Guess what? Dariush vs. Tsarukyan is an outstanding Fight Night main event. 

Armen Petrosyan 

After a straightforward victory over the flashier Christian Leroy Duncan, Petrosyan asked for a top 15 opponent. The Armenian striker isn’t going to get that, at least not if his management is smart. Petrosyan would do well with a bit more seasoning before making that jump. After all, a win over Duncan, owner of a lone UFC victory that came via injury stoppage, doesn’t exactly scream ready to have face someone with a number next to their name. 

There’s no shortage of names that make sense for Petrosyan next. Marc-Andre Barriault has hit his stride and is a similar spot as Petrosyan. Rodolfo Vieira provides a unique matchup. There’s several fights that could play out soon enough to provide Petrosyan his next opponent. The direction I like though involves another DWCS alum who has been given a fast track. Joe Pyfer’s wrestling offers a tough matchup for Petrosyan. Petrosyan offers durability Pyfer hasn’t faced yet. Petrosyan vs. Pyfer is the way to go. 

Pat Sabatini 

Sabatini couldn’t have done anything different to get people excited about his prospects than mauling Lucas Almeida the way he did. Sabatini’s wrestling never looked better and his grappling lived up to the lofty reputation he’s built for it. It made everyone who even considered picking against him in this contest – which includes me – feel foolish for doubting him. It could be argued Sabatini had the best night of anyone.

The win should put Sabatini right back where he was before his loss to Damon Jackson last year. There’s a lot of fun options available that make sense. Joanderson Brito, Charles Jourdain, and Bill Algeo were what came to mind. While all three are perfectly acceptable, Jourdain catches my attention the most. Jourdain’s athleticism could be a real problem for Sabatini, but Jourdain’s Achilles heel has been his ground game. Matching them up potentially answers the most questions we have about the two. Book Sabatini vs. Jourdain. 

Manuel Torres 

Torres has a LOT of momentum behind him right now. Not that he’s defeated any world-beaters, but he’s been plowing through whoever the UFC has put in front of him dating back to his appearance on DWCS, securing a first round finish each time. Given the momentum the UFC has with Mexico at this point, Torre looks like someone they’ll want to give a push to. The question is if they’re going to get overanxious and push him too hard, too soon. 

Names like Drakkar Klose and Nasrat Haqparast came to mind, but they feel like they’d be a step too far. The likes of Uros Medic and Natan Levy don’t feel like they’d be enough of a step up. There were roughly 15 names I went through and my absolute favorite, Rafa Garcia, appears unlikely given the Mexican heritage of both. Thus, I settled on Christos Giagos: a battled-tested vet who is still on the upswing. Sounds perfect. Torres vs. Giagos is just right. 

Nicolas Dalby 

Despite his 38 years of age, Dalby still appears to be getting better. Despite a rough start against Muslim Salikhov, Dably managed to break the Russian striker mentally, largely cruising to victory over the second half of the contest. Dalby called for a top 15 opponent in his post-fight interview. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but it seems more likely he’ll get someone sitting just on the outside fringes of the official rankings. Regardless, Dalby is at the peak of his career at the moment. 

The fringes of the rankings of welterweight is a crowded spot, offering no shortage of options for Dalby. Khaos Williams, Jeremiah Wells, Elizeu Zaleski, Mike Mallot, and Alex Morono all find themselves just on the outside coming off a win and unbooked. However, the name that caught my attention is someone coming off a controversial loss. Granted, Li Jingliang pulled out of a recent contest with a spine issue. That’s a tricky issue and Li could be on the sidelines a long time. If not, he’s a perfect test for Dalby. Thus, provided he’s healthy, Li vs. Dalby is the ideal way to go. 

Kyung Ho Kang 

Kang has been somewhat of a frustrating figure. There’s never been any doubt about his talents. It’s always been his fight IQ as Kang often seems to take the most difficult route to victory. Even in his win over Cristian Quinonez, Kang opted to engage in a striking contest rather than take the fight to the mat, which is where he had the biggest advantage on paper. Fortunately, it turned out alright for Kang, but not before enduring a slight scare. 

Now 35, time is short for Kang to make any sort of a run. Fate hasn’t been kind to him either. While his 8-3 UFC record is impressive, Quinonez is the only fighter still on the roster and Guido Cannetti having the most UFC victories out of those victims. Thus, it’s best to find someone established rather than looking to establish themselves for his next challenge. Like Kang, someone who continues to defy Father Time is Douglas Silva de Andrade. Both are on the outside fringe on the rankings too. It’s hard to find a better pairing than Kang and de Andrade. 

OTHER FIGHTS TO MAKE: Joaquim Silva vs. Damir Hadzovic; Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Julian Marquez; Lucas Almeida vs. Tucker Lutz; Nikolas Motta vs. Gabriel Miranda; Muslim Salikhov vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio; Alessandro Costa vs. Winner of Jesus Santos Aguilar/Shannon Ross; Jimmy Flick vs. Malcolm Gordon; Cristian Quinonez vs. Chad Anheliger; Carlos Hernandez vs. Clayton Carpenter; Denys Bondar vs. Carlos Candelario; Tereza Bleda vs. Mandy Bohm; Gabriella Fernandes vs. Victoria Leonardo; Daniel Argueta vs. Brady Hiestand; Ronnie Lawrence vs. Luan Lacerda; Modestas Bukauskas vs. Winner of Marcin Prachnio/Vitor Petrino; Zac Pauga vs. Ihor Potieira 

Jump to

Another UFC Fight Night come and gone and another main event delivering. For all the complaints we have about the oversaturation of the UFC, their main events usually tend to leave audiences satisfied. Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori did so to the extreme. Though the contest ultimately proved to be one-sided, there were a plethora of ebbs and flows throughout the contest, particularly early on. Ultimately, Vettori solidified his status as one of the most indestructible UFC fighters in history, absorbing a record number of significant strikes in a middleweight contest as Cannonier battered him for the win. 

By the end of the event, it was clear Cannonier was the biggest winner of the evening. However, he was hardly the only one who had a particularly good night. In fact, it wasn’t easy to decipher who the biggest winners of event were. Nonetheless, I’ve broken things down so you might know who the biggest winners and losers of UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Vettori were. 

Winners 

Jared Cannonier 

Cannonier needed to produce a memorable performance if he wanted to get back into the title picture, not just a clear victory. The thought was that he’d need to put Vettori away, something no one has been able to do. While he didn’t manage to do that, he did deliver one of the most memorable beatings in the history of the UFC. That’s not a hyperbole. Most impressive about it from Cannonier’s side is that he had no signs of slowing down, despite participating in a five-round UFC fight. Given Cannonier has been more of a measured UFC fighter over the course of his career, that’s a bit of a shock. 

Cannonier still needs to wait for Robert Whittaker and Drisuc Du Plessis to resolve their differences next month. Should Du Plessis win, he’s likely up next to challenge Adesanya for the title. However, if Whittaker wins, Cannonier will likely become the front-runner. While Cannonier has a loss to Adesanya under his belt, Whittaker has two. Plus, Cannonier looks like a vastly improved version of the guy who challenged Adesanya just a year ago. After that loss, I didn’t think I’d find myself enjoying the possibility of seeing that UFC fight again. And yet, here I am. 

Pat Sabatini 

Just a year ago, Sabatini had the look of a dark horse in the featherweight division. Then he ran into the emotional tornado that was Damon Jackson and all his momentum came to a sudden halt. Sabatini was largely forgotten about, looking like he was about to become another of a myriad of names middling within the deep featherweight division. This being his first UFC fight back from the loss to Jackson, Sabatini put on the most dominant performance of his career, smothering Lucas Almeida for the entirety of the contest. 

I’m not bold enough to declare Sabatini is going to become a contender in the featherweight division. His striking and athletic exploits are at least a step below the best in the division. However, he did exactly what he needed to do to perk up interest in him. Had he defeated Jackson last year, he probably would have set himself up for a ranked opponent. I don’t think he gets a ranked opponent in his next contest, but he is right back where he was going into the Jackson fight. Given how lopsided that loss was, that’s a hell of an accomplishment. 

Manuel Torres 

Given the amount of talented young UFC fighters coming through the lightweight division, it takes something special for the UFC to put a particular talent on a faster track up the ladder. Torres pulled out a very special finish when he caught Nikolas Motta with a brutal elbow in the midst of an exchange. It’s rare that a step-in elbow puts a fighter out cold. A spinning back-elbow frequently gets the job done, but a step-in elbow? And yet, Torres did it, picking up an extra $50K in the process.

There are still concerns about Torres going forward. For instance, he has very little experience outside the first round and this was another UFC fight that didn’t leave it. Nevertheless, he did respond well to adversity when Motta hurt him shortly before the end arrived. Torres responded well, tried to make the fight dirty, and succeeded in securing the victory. Thus, while there are still valid concerns about Torres, it can’t be denied that he looks like he’s going to be around for quite a while. 

Losers 

Arman Tsarukyan 

To be fair to Tsarukyan, he was put into a no-win situation. No one wants to fight him. He doesn’t have the name recognition of the top UFC fighters in the lightweight division, so they have no interest in participating in a fight against him, knowing full well he’s capable of beating them. Those below him in the rankings don’t appear anxious to fight him either as it’s hard to look good against Tsarukyan. Thus, while I’m happy to see Tsarukyan get a paycheck to fight Joaquim Silva, he needed to have a flawless performance for the UFC fight to advance him in the standings. That didn’t happen. 

Tsarukyan did end up securing a violent stoppage over Silva, but it came with roughly a minute to go in the fight. Plus, he was rocked by Silva in the second. At that point, Tsarukyan would need a KOTY type finish if he wanted to change the narrative. His KO was brutal, but it wasn’t at that level. Thus, Tsarukyan calling out Makhachev is all for naught. It wasn’t enough for him to force his way into a fight with someone like Charles Oliveira or the winner of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Tsarukyan is treading water 

Christian Leroy Duncan 

Duncan didn’t get violently KO’d. He didn’t get used as a mop all around the cage either. And yet, he has to be one of the bigger losers on the night given he let a UFC fight that was incredibly winnable for him slip right through his hands. Executing a lot of big motions and spinning attacks, Duncan wasted a lot of energy through the opening round and a half. It was even earlier than that when Armen Petrosyan saw through the BS and began throwing straightforward punches and kicks that touched up and hurt Duncan at times. 

I’m not saying there isn’t a time and place for high-risk attacks, but Duncan was throwing those more than the basics. Even if they don’t land, they can be good to give an opponent something to think about, but it’s easy to snake through them if you anticipate them. I considered Duncan to be a smart fighter entering the contest, so I would anticipate he can use this as a learning experience. If not, my read on Duncan was completely off. 

Daniel Argueta 

In a situation strikingly similar to last week when Nassourdine Imavov was on his way to collecting a victory over Chris Curtis, Argueta was robbed of a win over Ronnie Lawrence. It was more egregious this week as Argueta had Lawrence wrapped up in a tight RNC, Lawrence with his arm in position to tap. Only Lawrence didn’t tap. Referee Keith Peterson grabbed Lawrence’s arm to see if he was still conscious. As Lawrence pulled his arm away to indicate he was still alert, Peterson interpreted it as a tap and called the fight. 

Credit to Peterson for acknowledging his mistake and calling the UFC fight a no contest, but it’s hard to see where Lawrence was going to escape. It effectively robbed Argueta of not just a win, but there’s a good chance he didn’t get his win bonus either. I’m sure matchmakers will interpret it as a win as they look to pair him up for his next UFC fight, but it does hurt his future paychecks as well. Remember, the UFC’s pay scale is affected by how many wins a fighter racks up. Lots of pain being felt by Argueta missing out on the win that was thisclose to being his. 

Jump to

It’s another trip to the Apex for a UFC Fight Night, which means another event without the benefit of a live audience. Sigh…. Not only is the Apex a guarantee of no live crowd, but it’s also an indication of a below average card. Let me put it this way, there’s 14 UFC fights the card, so 28 participants. Less than half of the participants of this UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Cannonier card have their own Wikipedia page. 

With so many unknowns, a guiding hand is needed to know how the UFC fights will play out. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll give you the bare essentials to know how things will go, and who will get their hands raised. 

Marvin Vettori vs. Jared Cannonier | Middleweight 

If you were to take one look at Vettori without knowing anything about him, you’d guess he’s a KO machine with his ripped physique. If you got to know him on a personal level, you’d think he’s a hot head who would fight recklessly. While he is a hot head, Vettori enters every UFC fight with a plan… and it isn’t to knock the block off his opposition. With an endless gas tank, Vettori pushes a hard pace that tends to exhaust his opponent. Doesn’t matter if it’s wrestling or outvoluming them, he’s going to outwork them. Just don’t count on him to knock anyone out. 

On the flip side, Cannonier is one of the premier KO threats at middleweight; perhaps the KO threat in the division. The funny thing is his low kicks might be the aspect of his game opponents are more wary of; it makes it easier to catch a big punch if the opposition has had their mobility impugned. There are some red flags with Cannonier. His pace can be overly deliberate and his takedown defense has always been a major question mark. Progress has been made in those areas over the years, but he also hasn’t faced anyone who matches up with the ability to exploit both of those issues. 

I can’t deny that Cannonier has an excellent chance of being the first to finish Vettori. His power is that impressive. But he’s also 39 and one-dimensional. I acknowledge Vettori looked a bit rough against Roman Dolidze, but Dolidze could threaten Vettori both on the ground and standing. Vettori had to walk a tightrope. Cannonier can’t do that. Vettori should look more like his old self as his getting his first favorable matchup since fighting Kevin Holland in 2021. 

Prediction: Vettori via decision 

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joaquim Silva | Lightweight 

Bellator has a reputation for staging lopsided fights. Think of all the criticism thrown towards them for throwing Michael Page softball after softball. Tsarukyan is getting the biggest softball I can recall for a UFC fighter that isn’t receiving a short notice opponent. I don’t fault Tsarukyan; he just wants a fight. It’s everyone else who refused to step in the cage with Tsarukyan that should be blamed. 

Silva has some power and is a solid athlete, but there’s reason to question if he’s even a mid-tier UFC lightweight anymore. Tsarukyan could realistically end up becoming champion over the next few years. About the only advantage Silva has is he’s a cleaner technical striker, but he’s not the strategist Tsarukyan is. The Armenian will win the UFC fight by whatever way he wants. 

Prediction: Tsarukyan via TKO of RD1 

Armen Petrosyan vs. Christian Leroy Duncan | Middleweight 

Petrosyan has been a bit of a mixed bag thus far and Duncan hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show what he can do. Thus, this UFC fight feels like a coin flip to the untrained eye. Both have serious but not unbelievable KO power, both are big 185ers, both are solid athletes. However, Duncan is the more versatile striker, has a much longer reach, and is a more dynamic athlete. Plus, he’s younger and has far more MMA experience when you throw in his amateur experience. Petrosyan isn’t a softball for him, but there’s a reason a lot are excited about Duncan’s future. 

Prediction: Duncan via TKO of RD2 

Pat Sabatini vs. Lucas Almeida | Featherweight 

Everyone appears to have jumped off the Sabatini train after he was bowled over by Damon Jackson. It kind of makes sense. He’s not a great athlete and tends to take a lot of damage before he can get the fight to the ground. Given Almeida is a superior athlete and more than his share of power, it isn’t hard to see an upset being perpetrated here. Despite that, I’m still going with Sabatini. He’s a smart UFC fighter who should have a plan to maneuver around Almeida’s reach ground out a relatively boring decision victory if he can’t find a sub. 

Prediction: Sabatine via decision 

Manuel Torres vs. Nikolas Motta | Lightweight 

I see Torres having a similar trajectory to the man he disposed of in his UFC debut, Frank Camacho. His aggression will ensure he’s in competition for a Performance Bonus every time he fights, but he’ll be clipped down by steady, technical veterans. Motta is more experienced and more technical, but I don’t know if he’s at quite the level he needs to be to counter Torres’ aggression. Given there’s some flukiness to Torres’ recent victories – Camacho was shot and he poked Kolton Englund in the eye – I’ll lean towards Motta having what it takes, but not without apprehension. I don’t like Torres’ lack of experience beyond the first round either. 

Prediction: Motta via TKO of RD2 

Nicolas Dalby vs. Muslim Salikhov | Welterweight 

Dalby will want to make this UFC fight as ugly as possible since he’d be foolish to engage in a tit-for-tat kickboxing contest with Salikhov. Salikhov’s timing is amongst the best in the business and Dalby isn’t the type of athlete who can overwhelm him. What I don’t know is if he has the skill set to close the distance without getting torn up by Salikhov. Salikhov tends to do a better job of playing to his strengths than Dalby does, having me lean in his direction, even though Dalby is the better all-around UFC fighter. Expect some spinning stuff to land from Salikhov too. 

Prediction: Salikhov via decision 

Raoni Barcelos vs. Miles Johns | Bantamweight 

Two years ago, me and everyone else is picking Barcelos in this contest without much thought. Having lost three of his last four at the age of 36, Barcelos appears to be headed for the proverbial cliff. The question is if Johns is enough of a step down for the Brazilian to get back on track. Johns has come a long way as a striker and has good takedown defense, but Barcelos is a BIG step up… provided Barcelos isn’t just a victim to Father Time. That’s a big if since that’s everything this contest hinges on. Given Umar Nurmagomedov just appears to be a beast, I’ll lean towards Barcelos having enough in the tank for this fight. 

Prediction: Barcelos via submission of RD1 

Jimmy Flick vs. Alessandro Costa | Flyweight 

Flick may be the one with a UFC win under his belt, but I’m more sold on Costa than I am Flick. Costa is young, hungry, and has excellent grappling pedigree. Flick has one of the most dynamic submission games on the entirety of the roster. However, he also retired two years ago. It’s hard to believe Flick’s heart is in fighting at this stage. It might be worth “sprinkling” on Flick to win by submission, but the pick is Costa all day based on his superior athleticism and accolades. 

Prediction: Costa via TKO of RD2 

Kyung Ho Kang vs. Cristian Quinonez | Bantamweight 

Kang may have one of the more underappreciated UFC runs, but it’s because there’s a lack of quality victories on his ledger. Thus, this comes down to how one sees Quinonez. Is he in the UFC for a cup of coffee or does he have a lengthy run in him? A win over Khalid Taha doesn’t distinguish what his future is, but that he was capable of putting him away speaks volumes. Quinonez is well-rounded enough that I don’t see Kang jabbing him to death or smothering him with his top heavy grappling. Quinonez squeaks out a close one. 

Prediction: Quinonez via decision 

Carlos Hernandez vs. Denys Bondar | Flyweight 

Given the gruesome injury suffered by Bondar in his UFC debut, he’s still very much a mystery. His reputation is that of a skilled grappler, but the question is whether he has the wrestling to exploit where he’s at his best. If he does, Hernandez has shown a weakness to skilled grapplers. He’s also a vastly superior striker with solid wrestling. And while Hernandez didn’t look good against Allan Nascimento, Nascimento is a phenomenal grappler. Hernandez looked like a solid grappler prior to that. Given Bondar’s striking is lacking, I like Hernandez’s all-around game to prove superior. 

Prediction: Hernandez via decision 

Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Felipe Bunes | Flyweight 

Zhumagulov officially overtook Angela Hill as the most hated UFC fighter by the judges on the roster. It could be argued he should be 4-2 in his UFC run as opposed to his pitiful 1-5 record. A wily vet with underrated power and a chin that’s tough to crack. Bunes has been heavily reliant on putting his opponent away. Given more proven flyweights haven’t been able to do that, it looks like it’ll be a hard ask for Bunes to overcome… unless the judges are still against Zhumagulov. But he can’t get screwed over again… right? 

Prediction: Zhumagulov via decision 

Tereza Bleda vs. Gabriella Fernandes | Women’s Flyweight 

Even though most roll their eyes at her moniker of “Ronda,” no one denies that Bleda has the looks of a special talent. It’s about being able to harness her abundant talent. First things first, she needs to work on her conditioning and energy management as she was spent after one round in her UFC debut. Fernandes is older with a lower ceiling, but she could also develop into something special based on her striking prowess. Fernandes can pull off the upset if Bleda expends too much energy keeping her down early, but the guess here is Bleda won’t expend as much energy holding her down as she did against Natalia Silva. 

Prediction: Bleda via decision 

Daniel Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence | Bantamweight 

Lawrence looked like he was on his way to being a real force in the division until running into Saidyokub Kakhramonov. Now, everyone appears to be down on him. Is it just recency bias or are the concerns about his ability to push a hard pace legit? Perhaps a bit of both. Noticing Lawrence couldn’t stop Kakhramonov’s takedowns, many believe Argueta has the wrestling to do the same to Lawrence. If Lawrence has issues with his weight cut again, it’s a good possibility. If not, I’d anticipate Lawrence bowling over him. It isn’t easy to replicate Kakhramonov’s performance. 

Prediction: Lawrence via decision 

Zac Pauga vs. Modestas Bukauskas | Light Heavyweight 

At 35, it’s hard to believe Pauga will be able to do more than break into the official rankings given his late start in the sport. Nevertheless, he’s proven to be willing to listen to his coaches, maximizing his abilities as he’s still learning. However, he hasn’t faced anyone like Bukauskas. Not only does Bukauskas have a much longer frame than Pauga, he’s quicker and a much more technical striker. Pauga is used to marching down his opponents and pushing them against the cage. Bukauskas’ lateral movement will make that a far more difficult proposition than Pauga is used to. 

Prediction: Bukauskas via TKO of RD3

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Heading into its main event, UFC 289 was chuck full of momentum. The highly anticipated co-main event between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush didn’t disappoint in the least. After Dariush initiated some early control, Oliveira found the mark with a head kick that staggered Dariush. Oliveira didn’t let up, delivering a series of punches that continued even after Dariush hit the mat. When the fight was called, it looked like Oliveira had punched his ticket to face Islam Makhachev once again. 

The more I thought about it, the more I questioned if that’s what was going to happen. Perhaps more importantly – at least from a fan’s perspective – is whether it should happen.

Bloody Elbow colleague Evan Zivin argued for Charles Oliveira’s “obvious” title shot, but I’m not sure I quite agree. Believe me, I didn’t believe I’d be thinking that once we got on the other side of the event. But I assure you, there is some logic to my second guessing. 

The Reasoning

In prize fighting, whether boxing or MMA, the participants need to be more economical with their contests than other athletes in other sports. For instance, even Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were scheduled to face each other at least twice a year in the NBA. Prize fighters rarely make it to three fights against one another. In fact, there’s an obscene amount of fights that never happened for all sorts of reasons. I’m not talking about fantasy fights from across different generations either. 

We never saw Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko. Dan Henderson vs. Chuck Liddell would have been fun. Perhaps those are examples due to Pride and the UFC being separate organizations at the time, but there are other, more recent examples. Frankie Edgar vs. Conor McGregor would have been a fun contest six or so years ago. Anthony Johnson vs. Jon Jones was intriguing as hell. Other times, we get those fights at the wrong time. For instance, McGregor has a win over Max Holloway, but it was long before either fully came into their own. 

The Proposal

There’s only so much time to squeeze in all the fights we really want to see out of our favorite fighters. And we’ve seen Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira. That isn’t to say I’m against seeing them fight again. The first fight was fun, competitive. But it also wasn’t such an epic affair that there is a demand from the fans for the UFC to pair them together immediately. What we haven’t seen is Makhachev against either Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje. 

I understand if there is an audible groan coming out of you (the reader) right now. I’m advocating for Poirier and Gaethje to get another shot at the title when both have already come up short twice in their quest for undisputed gold. Both lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov as interim champions and then came up short against Oliveira. Given that, why should I advocate for them to get another title shot, especially with both of them having losses to Oliveira? 

The Case Against Charles Oliveira

I’ve already pointed out why. Charles Oliveira has something neither of them has: a loss to Makhachev. And while I applaud the UFC for having Oliveira fight before giving him another crack at the title – a practice they’ve been getting away from – the winner of Poirier and Gaethje’s contest at UFC 291 will have two wins since their last loss, both against topflight competition. 

If each of these fighters were still in their 20’s, I wouldn’t have to make this case. There would probably be enough time for them to circle around one another. Perhaps even the argument would hold up if they were in their early 30’s. But Poirier and Gaethje are both 34 with a lot of hard miles on their bodies. It’s very plausible – some would even say likely – they are past their prime. If their fight against one another goes down as expected, there’s going to be a lot more hard miles on them. 

Why risk denying Makhachev a quality name to compete against in his career? He’s already got Oliveira. Does anyone think he wouldn’t love an opportunity to clash with one of the OG’s who clashed with his mentor? Say the UFC opts to go with Makhachev and Oliveira, but promise the winner of Poirier and Gaethje an opportunity to clash with the winner of Makhachev and Oliveira. We aren’t guaranteed to see one of them fight Makhachev as Oliveira could very well win. Plus, the longer the fight is delayed, the more likely we see diminished versions of Poirier or Gaethje. 

In my proposal, it leaves Oliveira out in the cold, something I feel bad about given he was willing to fight Dariush when neither Poirier or Gaethje would. But that also leads me to believe Oliveira might be willing to fight someone else on the up and up. Mateusz Gamrot is coming off a win. It’s likely Arman Tsarukyan will be coming off two wins after this upcoming weekend. Pit Oliveira with one of them on the same card as Makhachev and whoever emerges as the BMF, with the promise he gets to step in should something go awry with the title fight. 

The best part about my position is recency bias. Right now, that’s leaning in favor of Oliveira, understandably so. At the end of July, it will be in favor of Poirier and Gaethje as their exploits will be fresh in the minds of fans. And who believes they won’t call out Makhachev should they win? If their fight entertains as expected, I’m sure there will be many changed minds at the conclusion of their contest. Of course, that’s provided Oliveira hasn’t succeeded in getting a rematch with Makhachev booked. I feel confident that won’t happen by then, but there’s a good chance we’ll know by the time you read this.

The Conclusion

Feel free to disagree with me. I understand where you’re coming from because I was there myself. But I’m also tired of countless rematches at the highest levels when there are other fights that could be booked that have yet to have a chapter written. I’ve seen Makhachev and Oliveira do the damn thing. I haven’t seen Makhachev throw down with either Poirier or Gaethje. I’d like to prioritize seeing Makhachev face someone new before getting a sequel. 

What would you rather see? Let me know down in the comments below.

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UFC 289 has come and gone with mixed reception. Up until the main event, the action was an unmitigated success. There were some spectacular finishes and most of the contests at least had a spirited showing from the Canadian-heavy card. Then the main event came. Bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes wasn’t to blame; she did what she was supposed to do. The challenger, Irene Aldana, had the worst case of stage fright. I’m not sure that was Aldana. I’d believe the real Aldana was kidnapped and it was an imposter in the cage. 

However, the card ended on a better note than the uncompetitive contest we got. A better note, but still bittersweet. Nunes announced her retirement, capping off one of the most legendary careers in the history of the sport. Nunes celebrated her career with her family in the cage, but it’s always a bit sad to see the great ones walk away. Then again, it’s even more sad to see them stick around for too long. If nothing else, her retirement provides a legacy for UFC 289 besides Canadians kicking ass.

That ended up complicating things on my end. At this point, we’re only picking three winners and three losers for each card. That way, there’s no doubt who did and didn’t have a good night. Thus, let’s dig in…. 

UFC 289 Winners 

Amanda Nunes 

I wasn’t going to put her here immediately after the fight. Not because Nunes looked bad; she did what she was supposed to do. It’s not her fault Aldana didn’t show up to fight. But when Nunes announced her retirement, it kind of became a given she was going to end up here. You think I could have the women’s GOAT leave with her two titles intact and not call her one of the big winners on the night? No way in hell that was going to happen. 

Nunes’ haters will point out there’s a blemish to her record based on her loss to Julianna Pena. However, Nunes did what someone is supposed to do in that situation; not only did she get her belt back, she delivered one of the all-time legendary beatings on her. Nunes tended to fight up or down to her opposition, but got the job done time and again, putting together a seven year run in which she held at least one belt, two for about half the time. Hard to argue Amanda Nunes won’t forever be an all-time great.

Charles Oliveira 

Even though Oliveira had his 11-fight win streak snapped just last fall, he still entered UFC 289 as the underdog to Beneil Dariush. Not that it wasn’t understandable. Oliveira has a history of being broken mentally and was coming off his first loss in a long time. Plus, Dariush is one of the few fighters on the roster with the credentials to hang with Oliveira on the mat. In fact, Dariush was getting the better of Oliveira when the fight hit the mat. It looked like the smart money deserved to be on Dariush after all. 

Then Oliveira connected with a head kick late in the first round and it was all over from there. Dariush struggled to recover, but Oliveira wasn’t having any of it. He laid the punishment on thick, punching away until it was obvious Dariush wasn’t in a good mental state any longer. Oliveira has not only defeated anyone else who might challenge Islam Makhachev for the belt, he’s finished them too. Given that, it’s hard to deny the former champion an opportunity to regain his belt. It’s hard to come out a bigger winner than that. 

Canada 

Okay, I’m cheating a bit. Sue me. But given all six fighters who were either born in or have been training out of Canada managed to leave the cage with their hand raised, it’s hard to pick just one. Especially given none of them turned in a boring performance either. Kyle Nelson managed the best performance of his career. The same could be argued for Diana Belbita. They both saved their jobs in the process. How can I not include them? 

When it comes down to it, the other four Canadians looked downright awesome. Aiemann Zahabi turned in the most explosive KO of the night. Jasmine Jasudavicius and Mike Malott were dominant in their contests. And Marc-Andre Barriault managed to turn in the most back-and-forth entertaining contest on the evening with Eryk Anders. Given most expected that to be a grinding slog, that’s a hell of an achievement. It was a damn good night to be a Canadian. 

UFC 289 Losers 

Irene Aldana 

I try very hard not to have both participants from a single contest on here, but I had to make an exception for Nunes. There was no way in hell I could exclude Aldana from being one of the big losers from this event. Aldana just didn’t show up. There’s no other way to put it. She was given the biggest opportunity of her career and she just froze. I don’t know if it was the spotlight itself or the opponent standing across from her. Most likely a combination of the two. Regardless, Aldana has forever damaged her reputation as an action fighter with this showing. 

Had Aldana at least managed to bring the fight to Nunes, it’s possible the UFC would have considered re-booking her for the now vacant women’s bantamweight title. Y’all remember Dana White’s reaction to Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Blachowicz? Yeah, Aldana isn’t getting an immediate crack at the belt. In fact, it’s reasonable to suggest the UFC will be hesitant to book her in a title fight at all after her fight with Nunes. It won’t be an impossibility for Aldana to fight her way back, but this performance will be in the back of the minds of the UFC brass. 

Nassourdine Imavov 

Some may argue Chris Curtis was a bigger loser from their fight. After all, for the second fight in a row, Curtis got the worse end of an inadvertent and illegal collusion of heads. This time around, the referee caught it and stopped the action as opposed to Curtis attempting to survive while recovering. That’s just bad luck. Not that bad luck isn’t nothing, but provided nothing significantly changed in the course of the fight, Curtis was on his way to losing. Curtis was bailed out. Imavov was robbed of a victory. 

Imavov is one of the more curious names in the official rankings. Wins over Ian Heinisch and Edmen Shahbazyan haven’t aged well and Joaquin Buckley has opted to move down to welterweight. A win over Curtis would have been the biggest of his career. Instead, the referee stopped the fight when Curtis claimed he couldn’t see and a no contest was declared. Curtis has been around long enough to know the fight would be stopped if he said he couldn’t see. If he really wanted to keep going, he would have said he could see. I’m not saying it was the right or wrong move. I’m saying he didn’t want anymore of Imavov.

Blake Bilder 

Of all the prelim fights that saw a Canadian score an upset win, Bilder’s felt like the one where the favored fighter gave it away more than any other. Not that Kyle Nelson didn’t look like the best version of himself; he absolutely did. But Bilder wasted time down the stretch by spamming spinning kicks and showboating. It turned out he would have needed the finish, but there was every reason to believe securing that final round could have been enough. Bilder opted to play to the crowd – which was against him — rather than the judges. Bad call. 

Some fighters never look the same after suffering their first loss. Others use that as a valuable learning experience and come back stronger than ever. Bilder is older for a featherweight prospect – he’ll be 33 next month – so it Isn’t like he has a high ceiling. Regardless, how he responds will say a lot about his shelf life in the organization. 

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Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, and round by round scoring for UFC 289 from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Today’s fight card will be headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes looking defend her belt against Mexican striker Irene Aldana.

This post will cover the co-main event between former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira competing against the streaking Beneil Dariush, the winner likely to get the next crack at Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title.

The event will be a standard PPV. There are two early prelims on ESPN+ and Fight Pass that will kick off around 7pm ET / 4pm PT. The televised four-fight prelims will air on ESPN+ and ESPNews and will start at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. The PPV kicks off at 10pm ET / 7pm PT with five fights, and you can order it on ESPN+ PPV.

UFC 289: Charles Oliveira vs Beneil Dariush play-by-play

Round 1: Dariush scores first with a low kick, but Oliveira lands a heavy head kick. Dariush is unfazed. Dariush slips on a head kick, but is right up. The clinch up and after a long struggle, Dariush falls on top of Oliveira. Dariush lands some good punches from the top, but Oliveira isn’t making it easy to land anything. Oliveira goes for a leglock, but Oliveira easily escapes and is back on top landing punches.

Oliveira eventually gets back to his feet and pushes Dariush to the fence. As they separate, Oliveira lands a head kick. Dariush is rattled. Oliveira continues to throw punches and Dariush crumples. Oliveira continues to unload and Dariush is unable to cover up after a while the referee steps in and Oliveira is the winner!

Official Result: Charles Oliveira defeated Beneil Dariush via TKO via punches at 4:10 of RD1

Full UFC 289 Fight Card

Full results and highlights for UFC 289 can be seen here, fight card can be seen below.

Main card

Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana: (W) Bantamweight Title
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush: Lightweight
Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt: Welterweight
Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr: Featherweight
Eryk Anders vs. Marc-André Barriault: Middleweight

Prelims

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis: Middleweight
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick: (W) Flyweight
Aiemann Zahabi vs. Aoriqileng: Bantamweight
Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson: Featherweight

Early prelims

David Dvořák vs. Steve Erceg: Flyweight
Diana Belbiţă vs. Maria Oliveira: Strawweight

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Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, and round by round scoring for UFC 289 from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Tonight’s fight card will be headlined by women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes looking defend her belt against Mexican striker Irene Aldana. This post will cover that contest, Nunes being a heavy favorite to retain her title over Aldana.

The event will be a standard PPV. There are two early prelims on ESPN+ and Fight Pass that will kick off around 7pm ET / 4pm PT. The televised four-fight prelims will air on ESPN+ and ESPNews and will start at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. The PPV kicks off at 10pm ET / 7pm PT with five fights, and you can order it on ESPN+ PPV.

UFC 289: Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana play-by-play

Round 1: A few leg kicks are thrown by Nunes but no one is really opening up after a minute. Nunes throws a few kicks to the body. Nunes quickly drags Aldana to the mat with a single leg, but allows Aldana to climb back to her feet. Aldana still hasn’t landed a strike. Nunes lands the first punch. Aldana finally lands a leg kick. Nunes mixing jabs and front kicks as she’s pushing Aldana back. Aldana has a serious case of stage fright.

Nunes starting to get loose, putting some mustard behind her punches. Aldana finally lands something heavy as Nunes advances. Aldana goes back to inactivity after she backs Nunes off. Nunes lands a few more strikes, but just touching strikes, before the round ends. Easy 10-9 for Nunes.

Round 2: Nunes is getting loose again, mixing low kicks and punches. She fakes a takedown, but Aldana retreats quickly. Nunes getting some heavy leg kicks in. Aldana finally lands a punch, but that’s it. Nunes puts Aldana on her butt for a second with a single leg, but lets her get up. Aldana finally starts to throw more than one strike, but only for a span of about 15 seconds. Nunes continues to mix her punches and kicks beautifully. Alana whiffs on a head kick and Nunes scores a takedown on the follow throw. Another 10-9 round for Nunes.

Round 3: Awesome punching combo from Nunes to open the round. Nunes backing Aldana down with front kicks. Nunes is back to the jabs between Aldana’s high guard. Nunes allows Aldana to advance, but she lands nothing and Nunes opts to secure a double leg. Aldana tries to bounce up, but Nunes isn’t having it this time. Nunes gets in a few solid punches, but Aldana isn’t making it easy for Nunes to do more than maintain position.

Aldana manages to climb back to her feet, only for Nunes to trip her up. Nunes opts to let Aldana up, but immediately clinches her up and trips her down again, Nunes looking for the back. Nunes is high, switches to looking for an arm rather than Aldana’s back. Aldana escapes. Aldana tries to seriously engage with punches, but Nunes starts landing some heavy leather right before the end of the round. Nunes is doing whatever she wants in this fight. Another 10-9 for Nunes.

Round 4: Aldana whiffs on some big punches to open the round. She’s putting some oomph into her leg kicks too, which land. Nunes begins advancing and lands a big elbow on Aldana. Aldana isn’t throwing with authority anymore. Nunes pushing Aldana back with jabs and front kicks again. Nunes shoots on a double leg, but Aldana defends. Aldana defends another takedown. A few more punches and kicks from Nunes before Nunes gets another takedown.

Nunes lets Aldana stands and we’re back to Nunes backing up Aldana with jabs and front kicks. A heavy right from Nunes lands. A big knee from the clinch from Nunes. A big right from Nunes. Aldana reluctant to engage again. Nunes doing whatever she wants as Aldana hasn’t shown up in the least. Another 10-9 for Nunes, putting her up 40-36 in my book.

Round 5: Nunes engages first, but Aldana is trying to walk her back. Nunes responds with a double leg and finishes the takedown. Nunes staying heavy on top of Aldana, but isn’t able to get much effective offense going. Nunes pushes Aldana’s head against the fence and starts getting in some good elbows. Aldana adjusts, but Nunes finds a few more good punches before Aldana closes the guard again. Nunes secures the mount and Aldana almost gives up her back. Nunes begins landing punches to the body. This fight will be on the MMA Depressed Us soon enough. Nunes 10-9, 50-45 total for me.

Official Result: Amanda Nunes defeated Irene Aldana via unanimous decision (50-44 x2, 50-43)

Amanda Nunes announces her retirement after the fight, demanding someone get some scissors to cut off her gloves. She also demands Brazil gets their butt in gear as she was the only Brazilian champion. We wish her well on her future endeavors.

Full UFC 289 Fight Card

Full results and highlights for UFC 289 can be seen here, fight card can be seen below.

Main card

Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana: (W) Bantamweight Title
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush: Lightweight
Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt: Welterweight
Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr: Featherweight
Eryk Anders vs. Marc-André Barriault: Middleweight

Prelims

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis: Middleweight
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick: (W) Flyweight
Aiemann Zahabi vs. Aoriqileng: Bantamweight
Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson: Featherweight
Early prelims

David Dvořák vs. Steve Erceg: Flyweight
Diana Belbiţă vs. Maria Oliveira: Strawweight

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Many fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when Julianna Pena was forced to pull out of her scheduled trilogy with Amanda Nunes at UFC 289. It isn’t anything personal, at least not from my end. It’s that the rematch was one of the most one-sided beatdowns in a title fight in recent memory that there was no interest for most to see the rivalry culminate in a trilogy right away. My thoughts were to have Pena win a fight or two before getting another crack. There’s no guarantee that proves to be the case — Pena appears to have Uncle Dana’s ear — but at least we’re getting a fresh matchup for Nunes for now.

Of course, the fact Irene Aldana wasn’t immediately penciled in to face Nunes is a strong indication she hasn’t done enough to firmly convince the UFC brass she deserved the crack ahead of a healthy Pena. Then again, Pena wasn’t seen as the strongest challenge to dethrone Nunes the first time they fought. It’s fair to question how this UFC 289 fight will play out with that as a factor. Wonder no more. I’ve got the lowdown on how it’ll play out. 

For the rest of my UFC 289 predictions, click here and here.

Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana | Women’s Bantamweight 

For several years now, there has been rabid talks about when Nunes might retire. The loss to Pena may have extended her career, wanting to do more than just get the belt back to wash the bad taste out of her mouth from that loss. However, given we were all questioning how much longer she was going to continue fighting should have been a big red flag that an upset was in the making. Nunes could very well be checked out once again at UFC 289 as Aldana isn’t guaranteed to be an opponent who will bring out the best in Nunes. 

In fact, Nunes has struggled the most against opposition on the lower end of the name value scale. She blew through Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Holly Holm with minimal resistance, stopping them all in the first round. It was nip and tuck with Valentina Shevchenko the second time they fought, which was before Shevchenko went on her long reign at flyweight. She struggled with Germaine de Randamie more than anyone thought she would in their second matchup. She went the distance with Felicia Spencer. I’m not saying Nunes isn’t the women’s GOAT, but she does fight to her competition to a degree. 

There’s further reason to believe Aldana can replicate Pena’s upset of Nunes at UFC 289. Aldana is far more skilled on the feet than Pena, which was where Pena turned the tide on Nunes. Aldana also has a better cardio history than Pena. Some might argue it’s better than Nunes’. Throw in that Aldana hasn’t been finished in eight years – when she was less than three years into her professional career – and all the ingredients are there to believe an upset is brewing. All the Mexican native might need at UFC 289 is an opening….

However, just because the ingredients are there, it doesn’t mean filet mignon is about to be made. For one, Nunes has to be exceptionally alert to all those concerns at this point. She might have dismissed those kind of concerns prior to her first fight with Pena, but it’s hard to believe she would do so now at UFC 289 when the stench of her upset loss is still relatively fresh. She might let her guard down again once she has another extended winning streak. Nunes might be having motivation issues getting up for the fight, but it isn’t going to be overconfidence this time around that does her in. 

Nunes claimed the bantamweight title in the summer of 2016 – before Aldana’s UFC debut — meaning she’s been fighting the best for a long time. She can make small tweaks here and there that will result in some improvements, but most would agree she’s likely to be going downhill if she’s heading in any direction. Those same people would probably agree Aldana still has room to grow. But does she? Aldana has been fighting professionally for over a decade and is actually older than Nunes. I’m not convinced Aldana has the room for growth that many seem to believe. 

Most damning is the dominance Nunes has shown on the mat when she chooses to take the fight in that direction. In the rematch, Nunes took Pena down whenever she wanted. Nunes also took Spencer and de Randamie at will. When Nunes is in the mind frame to hit the mat, there isn’t much that will stop her from accomplishing that. Aldana’s takedown defense has been impressive, but so was de Randamie’s. And while I don’t want to insult Aldana’s grappling, I’d be flat out lying if I tried to claim it rivals Nunes’ credentials.

Even if Nunes chooses to stand with Aldana at UFC 289, it’s not like Nunes is a poor striker. While it’s true she was overconfident against Pena, that’s been the only occasion in her UFC career where she was outclassed on the feet. Nunes has plenty of power, being the only one to put away Cris Cyborg. That’s no small accomplishment. Even as Aldana is at her best on the feet — perhaps even the more technical boxer — there’s no guarantee she is the better fighter in that department against Nunes.

As an MMA prognosticator, there’s few things that bring me greater professional joy than accurately picking a major upset. As a result, I’m typically looking for every reason why I should pick the underdog when there’s a clear favorite in a major fight. I’ve found reasons to pick Aldana at UFC 289. Good reasons to pick Aldana. I just don’t think it’s enough good reasons to really pick her. Given Nunes was upset by Pena, it’s obvious she would have been ripe for the taking had that loss never happened. It did and now Nunes has refocused herself… for now. I believe the timing of the title shot at UFC 289 is what is most working against Aldana.

UFC 289 Prediction: Nunes via decision 

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As I touched on with the Bold Predictions on the UFC 289 prelims, this PPV card isn’t great. The main card exemplifies that sentiment. Two of the fights have no business being on PPV main cards and a third merely comes across as being a satisfactory PPV opener – and it isn’t even filling that role. For all the crap I’m dumping on the card, the UFC 289 co-main event is as fantastic as a non-title fight gets, the only complaint being that Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush won’t be competing for five rounds. But how will it play out? Keep reading to find out. 

UFC 289 co-main event: Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush | Lightweight 

This was an intriguing contest the first time the UFC tried booking it in the fall of 2020. Given we’ve seen Oliveira enjoy a reign as lightweight champion and Dariush hasn’t lost a fight in that time, it’s even more intriguing now at UFC 289. There’s a wide swath of fans and analysts who believe Oliveira and Dariush are the most respected grapplers in the lightweight division. Knowing that, perhaps we should expect it to turn into a striking battle. If it does, it’ll still be a hell of a contest. 

Oliveira’s lanky frame has always made him a natural submission threat. It has allowed him to pile up the most submissions in UFC history, presently sitting at 16. The funny thing is, Oliveira has never been a greater submission threat than he presently is… and it’s because he has gained more confidence in his striking. It used to be Oliveira would attempt to lure his opponents to the mat or drag them down himself. Now, he’s been able to rattle his opponent’s brains on the feet before sinking in his signature RNC. Adding another regular method to get the fight to the mat makes Oliveira that much more dangerous. 

In the case of Dariush, he’s one of the few who might be able to survive regular trips to the ground with Oliveira without having significant luck playing a part in his escape. Dariush doesn’t get the same recognition for his BJJ exploits as he’s more of a meat and potatoes grappler, more position over submission as the phrase goes. Nevertheless, what can be said is Oliveira can’t compete with the pressure Dariush applies from the top position. With Glover Teixeira now retired, Dariush may be the most effective top position fighter on the entirety of the UFC roster. 

Both employ very different styles on the feet. Oliveira is much more free flowing with his Muay Thai, much of that due to his willingness to let his opponent take him down. Dariush’s takedown defense is far more stout, complementing his more boxing-centric attack. Much has been made of Oliveira’s power as of late, but Dariush has his own fair share of highlight reel finishes. Plus, he’s also far more defensively minded than Oliveira. 

The recent success of both has a lot to do with both enjoying major confidence boosts that comes with stringing together several wins together. Well, Oliveira is coming off a loss. Many were predicting he’d lose the title sooner than he did due to his history of melting down mentally in the midst of fights. Even in his loss to Islam Makhachev, that didn’t happen. But could the seed of doubt be planted in his mind now that he’s coming off a loss. 

I’m shocked this UFC 289 contest isn’t a straight up coin flip. Oliveira has overcome the odds so many times that it feels foolish to make him an underdog against anyone outside of Makhachev. Despite that, I’m picking against him. Dariush has been walking into every fight with a solid strategy mapped out while Oliveira has always been perfectly happy to let chaos reign. At UFC 289, I’ll go with the guy with a plan… or perhaps I should say the guy who seems to have a plan. 

Prediction: Beneil Dariush via decision 

Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr | Featherweight 

Don’t let Ige know, but it’s pretty clear he’s a gatekeeper to the top ten and nothing more. That’s not a terrible fate, but a fighter never wants to be told they have a ceiling. With fundamentally sound boxing and underrated power and grappling, Ige is going to win far more fights than he loses if he’s matched up with the entirety of the division. What he’ll want to do against Landwehr at UFC 289 is make sure the fight doesn’t devolve into a wild brawl, the type of environment Landwehr thrives in. Not that Ige can’t win that fight, but why give Landwehr what he wants? 

The funny thing is Landwehr isn’t the mindless bruiser he’s often made out to be. There’s intelligence in his approach. And once he gets flowing, he’s difficult to stop, much like his nickname of “The Train” would indicate. However, it takes him a bit to get going. Both his UFC losses, were first round finishes, not to mention being knocked down in the first round against David Onama. Knowing Landwehr is almost certainly to fall behind a round and Ige has never been finished, I’ve got to go with the Hawaiian native at UFC 289. 

Prediction: Ige via decision 

Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt | Welterweight 

There’s a lot to like about Fugitt. He’s got good size, a veteran confidence and presence, and underrated power and wrestling. He’s also not a great athlete and is already 34 despite being just two fights into his UFC career. Malott is two fights into his UFC career as well, but he’s also three years younger than Fugitt with superior athleticism. Malott is also recognized as being a highly intelligent fighter who does his homework. Having the Canadian crowd behind him at UFC 289 will help too… provided it doesn’t inflate his head. I don’t think it will. 

Prediction: Malott via submission of RD1 

Eryk Anders vs. Marc-Andre Barriault | Middleweight 

This could get ugly as hell. Both Anders and Barriault are at their best grinding away their opposition against the cage. Anders is probably the better pure athlete at UFC 289, but not by a wide margin. Barriault is the more consistent fighter. Both have been largely durable, but Barriault has less mileage, especially when one adds Anders’ football days to the mix. Knowing Anders has changed camps and it usually takes a fight or two for the positive effects of that to pay off, coupled with Barriault fighting in front of a Canadian crowd at UFC 289, and I’m leaning towards the one who proudly sports the maple leaf on his native flag. 

Prediction: Barriault via decision 

Jump to

It’s been well-established the UFC’s effort to put together a quality PPV card for their Canadian audience for UFC 289 has been lackluster. Injuries have hurt the quality some, but they can’t be solely to blame for the lack of enthusiasm for the card. Despite that, thanks to unrivaled roster depth, there are still some gems in within the preliminary contests. There’s no good reason why Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis weren’t put on the main card and Miranda Maverick and Jasmine Jasudavicius isn’t as one-sided as it might initially seem. But how will they play out? I’m here to tell you with some bold predictions…. 

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis | Middleweight 

In the year-and-a-half Curtis has been on UFC roster, he’s proven to be one of the most consistent action fighters on the roster. Three violent finishes and a FOTN have solidified that idea. He’s been doing it against quality competition too. However, there does appear to be a ceiling given none of Curtis’ wins came against ranked opponents, dropping both fights against fighters with a number next to their name. That bodes badly for his contest with Imavov, though there may be reason to believe things could be different this time around. After all, Curtis has the higher quality wins. 

Of course, Imavov is a stylistic problem for Curtis. Imavov has the lanky frame that has proven problematic for Curtis, an admitted overblown welterweight. And while Curtis is excellent at making reads, he has benefitted from opponents throwing massive amounts of volume, allowing Curtis to make those reads rapidly. Imavov is more selective of his strikes. Plus, Imavov has the advantage on the mat should the fight go there. I would call this a pick ‘em given Curtis’ finishing instincts, but I’ll lean towards Imavov given he still has upside; Curtis is a finished product.

Prediction: Imavov via decision 

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Miranda Maverick | Women’s Flyweight 

Having entered the UFC with a slew of bright prospects in the division – including Manon Fiorot and Erin Blanchfield – Maverick was the favorite of some analysts to deliver big things. While she’s been passed up in the hierarchy by most, Maverick is hardly a disappointment. Built like a bulldozer, Maverick is more than just a physical force when the fight hits the mat; she’s a skilled grappler too. The question is whether her stout frame will be able to get inside the range of the much rangier Jasudavicius. 

Jasudavicius is well-rounded and technically sound. Unfortunately, she’s not much of a natural athlete. Nevertheless, there’s every reason to believe she can win the striking battle in this contest, even with Maverick being the harder hitter. There’s also every reason to believe Maverick won’t be content to let the fight stay standing. Jasudavicius appears to be a superior wrestler to those Maverick has defeated, but it’s hard to get the image of Natalia Silva doing whatever she wanted to her. Maverick isn’t the athlete Silva is, but she is clearly superior to Jasudavicius in that sense, even with the size disparity.

Prediction: Maverick via decision 

Aiemann Zahabi vs. Aoriqileng | Bantamweight 

Zahabi’s lack of activity make it easy to forget he’s not a prospect any longer. In fact, at 35, he’s downright old for 135. Nevertheless, Zahabi is pretty much a pick ‘em against Aoriqileng as his well-rounded game might be enough to outslick or catch the native of China with something powerful. What would seem to be the more likely outcome is Aoriqileng’s constant output ends up overwhelming the native of Canada. It doesn’t hurt that Aoriqileng’s stamina has improved since moving up from flyweight. I’d expect him to get the job done. 

Prediction: Aoriqileng via decision 

Blake Bilder vs. Kyle Nelson | Featherweight 

I really want to like Bilder as a prospect. He’s well-rounded, technical enough, durable, and possesses an natural feel for the sport. He’s also turning 33 next month, which is ultimately what holds me back from thinking higher of him. Nevertheless, there is much less I like about Nelson. The owner of a solitary UFC win despite six appearances, Nelson has some pop and good size, but that’s about it. Stamina has always been an issue for him and I don’t see it getting better the older he gets. I also didn’t mention earlier Bilder’s cardio hasn’t been an issue. This feels like one of the more solid locks of the night. 

Prediction: Bilder via submission of RD3 

David Dvorak vs. Steve Erceg | Flyweight 

Dvorak is your typical steady handed veteran. There isn’t a lot of flash to his game, but he’ll be in his opponent’s face from start to finish, all the while proving to be exceptionally difficult to put away early. We know what we’re getting out of him. It’s a lot harder to know what we’ll get out of Erceg. While the Aussie has looked great in several of his contests, he’s also done so against questionable competition. Erceg may yet prove to be a UFC mainstay, but he’s getting a tough task on short notice for his UFC debut. Dvorak steadily outworks newcomer from bell to bell to walk out of UFC 289 the victor. 

Prediction: Dvorak via decision 

Diana Belbita vs. Maria Oliveira | Women’s Strawweight 

While both Belbita and Oliveira have the physical tools to be effective outfighters, neither has been able to put everything together over the course of an entire fight. Much of that has to do with neither of them having figured out how to continually stay sharp on defense. There isn’t a lot that separates these two as their age and size are nearly identical. Ultimately, I’m leaning towards Oliveira as she appears to have more pop in her strikes. I know it’s a miserable separator for a fight, but you’d have to be a severe gambling addict to be betting on this fight anyway. There’s better fights to throw your money at for UFC 289.

Prediction: Oliveira via decision 

Jump to

It has been a while since Bellator operated under their original format. For those of you who may not remember that format – or didn’t take interest in the sport until after the format changed — it started as an MMA organization where the only way to earn a title shot was to win a tournament. That isn’t unlike how the UFC began things, though there is one important difference: the tournament would take place over several months as opposed to one night. Regardless, the format had only so long of a shelf life as champions would infrequently be defending their titles. 

In the beginning, Bellator was committed enough to the format that it required a tournament win to become champion as well. Thus, beginning in the spring of 2009, Bellator ran what was its first season to crown their first four champions. The weight classes were for middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight. On June 5, 2009, Bellator crowned their first champion. 

Establishing Bellator’s First Season 

The first season was largely full of unknowns with a few established quantities mixed into each bracket. Well, almost every bracket. Middleweight featured Pride FC veteran Hector Lombard, who was heavily favored to win that tournament after seeming to come into his own on the Australian scene after the dissolution of Pride. Welterweight was anchored by the inaugural UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne, though few would argue his best days were past. Lightweight was expected to culminate in a showdown between two of the top hot risers in the division at the time, Eddie Alvarez and Jorge Masvidal. Featherweight did have a favorite in Wilson Reis, but was considered more open than the other divisions.

For those familiar with the development of the lighter weight classes, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. MMA’s earliest days featured openweight fights, resulting in greater success for larger fighters. It also proved to be a dissuasion for smaller people to enter the sport. When the weight classes started to be developed, the larger classes featured the more established names due to their earlier success. Plus, the smaller weight classes weren’t as appreciated by American audiences. Thus, the most skilled of the smaller classes found themselves collecting larger paychecks in Asia.

It may not come across as a smaller weight class nowadays, but lightweight was certainly thought of in that manner in 2009. After all, it was the smallest weight class in the UFC at the time. Thus, while Alvarez and Masvidal were the favorites, they solidified their reputations as established talents in Japan. The Bellator tournament was an opportunity for them to work in their home country in front of a nationally televised audience. ESPN Deportes may not have been a huge channel, but how many other organizations were nationally televised at the time? 

The Results 

The known quantities produced as expected in the quarterfinals of each division. The action was solid too, more finishes being produced than decisions. The semifinals produced the first real upsets. Menne fell in rapidly violent fashion to Omar de la Cruz. Even more shocking was Masvidal’s loss to Toby Imada. It wasn’t just that Masvidal lost; it was the manner in which he did. Imada was well on his way to losing before managing to secure an inverted triangle choke on Masvidal in the third round. Several notable publications awarded him Submission of the Year. For most, that’s the only thing they remember Imada for. 

The first champion crowned was Joe Soto at Bellator 10, securing the featherweight crown when he submitted Yahir Reyes in the second round. It was a fight lacking drama, Soto grounding and pounding Reyes for the entirety of the contest before finding a RNC. Soto would lose the title to Joe Warren in his first defense, never to fight in Bellator again. He would go on to be one of just 11 people to fight for both a Bellator and UFC title during his UFC run. Reyes would only fight one more time before calling it a career. 

The next champion to be crowned would be Lyman Good a week later at Bellator 11, easily disposing of de la Cruz in less than two minutes of a takedown and GnP. Good would lose his title in his first title defense to Ben Askren. Unlike Soto, he’d make a couple of attempts to regain his gold, coming up short in the season 7 finals before moving onto the UFC. De la Cruz would only fight twice more before calling it good. 

The last champions of the season to be crowed were Hector Lombard and Eddie Alvarez, the first two pillars of the Bellator organization. Lombard would pillory Jared Hess, a former All-American wrestler who many believed would have an extended MMA career. Instead, Lombard brutalized him with elbows, inflicting several cuts before the doctor intervened and called the fight. Lombard would only defend his belt once – like I said, a lack of defenses – but remain undefeated in Bellator with four other non-title wins after claiming the crown before vacating for the UFC. 

The last champion crowned would be Alvarez, finishing Imada in the final. After a first round spent largely in the clinch, a big right hand early in the second round proved to be the beginning of the end for Imada, a RNC following shortly after. Alvarez was already well established within the MMA community before the tournament win, but was still an unknown quantity to mainstream fans. Thus, his moniker of being The Underground King. As most would know, he would go on to be the first to be champion in both Bellator and the UFC, the only other one to accomplish that being Cris Cyborg. That said, Alvarez was the first face of Bellator. 

The Ultimate Outcome 

Given Bellator is not only still around, but arguably the second best MMA organization in the world, it’s fair to say the first season was a success. Kid Nate said so himself at the time. The upsets in the tournament didn’t ultimately produce any stars, which would continue to be the case going forward. Ultimately, the tournament format would prove to be tough for Bellator to recruit bigger names as the organization itself became more established. The big free agent signings didn’t happen until after that format was ditched. 

Nevertheless, the tournaments did add some legitimacy to a fledgling organization that needed legitimacy in the beginning. It isn’t just that no one was simply handed a belt; no one was handed a title shot. Bellator’s mantra of “Where title shots are earned, not given” was a legitimate mantra. Perhaps future upstart organizations can take note. While tournaments have a limited ceiling, they tend to build an excellent foundation. Don’t just look at Bellator; take a look at the UFC.

Other fun Bellator Season 1 notes 

For the first season only, longtime UFC mainstay Jon Anik served as the play-by-play announcer, alongside color commentator Jason Chambers. Chambers largely faded out of the MMA scene, but has developed a successful podcast, which has featured several guests from the MMA world. 

Several other future UFC roster members would participate in the first season tournaments, including Henry Martinez, Wilson Reis, Estevan Payan, and Hector Urbina. 

Several future UFC roster members also partook in non-tournament fights for the first season, including Leslie Smith, Rosie Sexton, Jacob Volkmann, Anthony Lapsley, Daniel Pineda, Dave Herman, Jessica Penne, Joey Beltran, Justin Edwards, Willie Gates, Waylon Lowe, Jonathan Brookins, Daniel Sarafian, Johnny Eduardo, Jimmie Rivera, Chas Skelly, Nick Pace, Vagner Rocha, Jake Ellenberger, David Branch, Uriah Hall, Sergio Moraes, and Travis Browne. In other words, Bellator was proving to be a feeder organization at the time. 

Worth noting Bellator was in the women’s MMA business long before the UFC. Their first women’s fight came almost a good four years before the UFC’s did. 

Jump to…

Another UFC Fight Night came and went — UFC Vegas 74 to be precise — but not before leaving quite a bit of controversy in its wake. Even as the main event between Amir Albazi and Kai Kara-France felt closer than the numbers would indicate, that doesn’t mean the number told a complete lie. Nevertheless, despite Kara-France officially outlanding Albazi in the significant strike department by more than 2-to-1, Albazi had his arm raised in the end, igniting MMA social media in a firestorm.

It would be foolish to call the card a failure, particularly given high number of fun fights provided from top to bottom. Some had great nights, some had meh nights, and some had terrible nights. We’re here to let you know who had the best and worst nights, with the revamped Winners and Losers. Only three selections per category, but this way it really does let us all know who is sitting on top of the world and who is down in the dumps. Let’s dig in! 

Winners 

Jim Miller 

Old man river keeps on rolling. I get that beating a newcomer who took the fight somewhere in the neighborhood of 24 hours notice shouldn’t be something that gets Miller a spot here. Not when we’re only declaring so many winners on a card. But given the controversy in some fights and poor fight IQ in others, Miller takes the cake by knocking the block off Jesse Butler. Earning an extra $50K doesn’t hurt Miller’s case either.

It isn’t all that much of a surprise for a heavyweight to secure the most vicious KO of their career at the age of 39. But for a lightweight to do so? Unreal. I don’t think there’s any question whether Miller will make it to UFC 300 at this juncture; injury is the only thing that will prevent that. Thus, let’s celebrate an OG like Miller, particularly given he’s never been anything other than a gentleman outside the cage. 

Karine Silva 

When Silva won a contract to the UFC via DWCS, she looked like nothing more than a fun action fighter. All her victories came via stoppage, but her last couple of losses on the regional scene seemed to indicate a limited ceiling. Two fights into her UFC career, Silva is turning that idea on its head. 

Maybe Silva isn’t exactly showing a newfound savvy that is changing the minds of her fight IQ. But she has been able to bully her opposition in a way that wasn’t to be expected as she fought a higher level of competition. It wasn’t just the way she tore up Ketlen Souza’s knee, though that was brutal. Silva ragdolled Souza even before going for the… well, I’ll call it a kneebar. It wasn’t a kneebar in the classic sense, but it blew out Souza’s knee. 

Muhammad Naimov 

A lot of people within the MMA community were happy to see Naimov signed. He’s a solid prospect with power with some real upside. But it looked like taking a fight on short notice against a gritty vet like Jamie Mullarkey seemed like too much. Well, almost all of us were wrong. 

Naimov wasn’t trying to outwork Mullarkey. Instead, he got some early reads and ended up looking for the killshot. He found it in the second round, delivering a vicious counter that floored the typically durable Mullarkey. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a more impressive debut this year given the circumstances. So often, the prospects worth watching get overlooked due to the sheer volume the UFC signs. Naimov might have deservedly been able to separate himself from the pack with his explosive win. 

Losers 

Kai Kara-France 

This has less to do with his performance and more to do with the circumstances of his loss and where it leaves him. Though I strongly disagreed with Albazi getting the win, I hesitate to call it a robbery because I can see where someone scores the fight for him; especially when not all significant strikes are created equal. Regardless, it ends up putting Kara-France far on the outside of the title picture, riding a two-fight losing streak. Not only is it a terrible position for someone with realistic title aspirations just last year, but a spot most feel he doesn’t deserve to be in. 

Playing armchair quarterback, it’s easy to say Kara-France should have been more active in the first three rounds. But none of us had to make sure we had energy enough to fight effectively after already going for 20 minutes. It’s hard to fault Kara-France’s strategy. Perhaps the judges only saw glancing strikes that didn’t land very cleanly. Perhaps they saw Albazi’s limited strikes landing with greater power. Whatever it is, it’s very plausible Kara-France never ends up in the title picture again. The only positive presently staring him down: that he was headlining a UFC Fight Night card, makes it more likely the controversy is remembered.

Victor Altamirano 

Given flyweights have a shorter shelf life than the larger men’s divisions, Altamirano was being given a golden opportunity to make his move up the flyweight ladder at the age of 31. Not only was he getting a crack at one of the more notable flyweight names in Tim Elliott, he was getting an emotionally charged Elliott. Given Elliott has a history of being overly reckless, it appeared tailor-made for Altamirano. 

Altamirano couldn’t even win a single round. Not that he didn’t have a few bright moments – the head kick he rocked Elliott with in the second was brutal – but he spent too much time playing BJJ after Elliott put him on his back. He should have been trying to get back to his feet, where he was having success. Altamirano isn’t so old that he can’t continue to improve, but this loss puts a hard ceiling on how high he’ll be able to climb. 

Jinh Yu Frey 

For just three spots, it was a bit hard to figure out who to put here. Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Johnny Munoz, and Andrei Arlovski came to mind. Nurmagomedov lost a fight that stylistically favored him. Munoz suffered a brutal beating. Arlovski got violently KO’d… again. When it boiled down to it, there’s several reasons why I ultimately went with Frey and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. 

First, Frey lost despite having her best performance in quite some time. She got her wrestling working early… and still could pull out a win over Elise Reed. Secondly, that was despite Reed being one of the few strawweights who doesn’t have a noticeable size advantage on Frey. Third, it culminated in Frey’s third consecutive loss, dropping her to 2-5 overall in the UFC. She’s probably hitting the chopping block. At 38, it seems highly unlikely she’ll be able to claw her way back into the organization.  

Jump to…

After a week away, the UFC returns tonight with a rarity: flyweights topping the UFC Fight Night card. The last time that happened was January 2019 when Henry Cejudo defended the flyweight title against TJ Dillashaw. The last time a non-title flyweight fight headlined a Fight Night card was August 2017, when Sergio Pettis upended Brandon Moreno. In other words, the UFC sees something they like in Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi. Let’s not waste time. Let us dig into how the latest UFC Fight Night will play out. 

Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi | Flyweight 

It’s easy to see this fight playing out for either fighter tonight. Each of their strengths match up well against the other’s weakness. Kara-France’s grappling has always been his Achilles heel and Albazi is an overwhelming wrestler with underrated submissions. Albazi’s striking is very much a work in progress while Kara-France may be the most dangerous striker in the division with Deiveson Figueiredo moving on out. It’s an easier call to say this fight ends before the final bell than it is to pick a winner. 

With size and age differences being negligible, it comes down to who has more ways to win the fight. Kara-France is more likely to score a KO, but he’s not going to get a submission, not against Albazi. Albazi may have more raw power than Kara-France, meaning a KO victory for him wouldn’t be shocking. Albazi’s defense is concerning, but it isn’t like Kara-France is a defensive savant either. Don’t take my word for how Albazi wins the fight, but he will win the fight. 

Prediction: Albazi via submission of RD4 

Alex Caceres vs. Daniel Pineda | Featherweight 

45 fights into his MMA career and Pineda has yet to win a fight by decision. That’s an incredible statistic. There doesn’t appear to be any indication he’s slowing down either despite his 38^th birthday approaching this summer. We can speculate all we want why that is, but his history of PED use is something that shouldn’t be discounted as a possibility. It isn’t cheating if you don’t get caught, right? Besides, Caceres has a history of bonehead mistakes that has resulted in him losing fights he shouldn’t. Against someone with the finishing instinct of Pineda, it seems inevitable Caceres slips up. 

Well, that would have been the story a few years ago. Caceres has matured a LOT over the last few years. The UFC agrees. Why else would they have him co-main event on a UFC Fight Night? Caceres has only a single loss over his last seven contests, a closer-than-expected decision loss to Sodiq Yusuff. That isn’t to say Caceres is impervious to making mistakes anymore, but he’s far more defensively alert than he used to be. More opportunistic too. Caceres has never had issues with his gas tank. Pineda has. It’s weird to say, but Caceres is the more reliable fighter in this case.

Prediction: Caceres via submission of RD3 

Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon | Lightweight 

Every time you think the book on Miller is finite, he adds a new wrinkle. It was that he was a dangerous submission threat for a round-and-a-half before his suspect gas tank sank him. He had gone a decade with a lone finish due to strikes – over a rundown version of Takanori Gomi – before exhibiting a newfound KO power. Now, Miller appears to have re-discovered his stamina, putting up a competitive third round in his most recent fight. 

While everyone loves Miller, it would be foolish to put too much into that one fight. Expecting a 39-year-old to rediscover the fountain of youth isn’t a wise strategy. Gordon isn’t much of a finisher, but he’s tough as nails and has a deep gas tank. It’s hard to imagine Miller outworking him. It wouldn’t be a shock if Miller were to submit him, but Gordon’s losses have come against clearly superior athletes than himself. That isn’t Miller. 

Prediction: Gordon via decision 

Tim Elliott vs. Victor Altamirano | Flyweight 

The mental state of Elliott is what everyone is focusing on. He has alleged his wife cheated on him with his best friend, something that would throw anyone off. Elliott fought effectively with emotion against Jordan Espinosa a few years ago, but this appears to be a different level of emotion. Plus, Elliott is now 36 and flyweights have a short shelf life. It isn’t like Elliott has a fight style that helps him to avoid damage either. 

Altamirano doesn’t excel in any one area, but he’s competent in all areas. Plus, he appears to be developing greater instincts. Elliott is tough to prepare for and there are signs the additional emotion could be good for him. Given Elliott’s history of getting himself into trouble and advanced age, the smart choice would appear to be Altamirano. 

Prediction: Altamirano via decision 

Karine Silva vs. Ketlen Souza | Women’s Flyweight 

Coming over as the Invicta flyweight champion, Souza has a reputation as a feared striker. However, finishes have dried up since facing respectable opposition. That hasn’t been the case with Silva. Souza is the more technical striker, but Silva is more well-rounded with sharper finishing instincts. That makes it more likely Souza wins a decision, but Silva has only gone to decision once. All of Souza’s losses have come before the final bell. I like Silva in this razor thin contest. 

Prediction: Silva via TKO of RD2 

Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Elizeu Zaleski | Welterweight 

There’s no doubt Zaleski is the more dangerous striker with a greater track record. Plus, he looked as sharp as ever in his most recent outing. Of course, that contest was 19 months ago and he’s entering an age when a decline should be expected. Nurmagomedov is also a nightmare matchup for Zaleski as he’s a very technical, positionally sound wrestler. A sudden KO from dos Santos isn’t out of the question, but Nurmagomedov is a stylistic nightmare for the Brazilian. Khabib’s cousin should find a way to get the job done. 

Prediction: Nurmagomedov via decision 

Jamie Mullarkey vs. Muhammadjon Naimov | Lightweight 

Naimov is a prospect worth taking a look at. He’s well coached, has some power, and has responded well to his first career losses. He’s also got a lot of work to do on his wrestling and is a natural featherweight. Mullarkey isn’t a classic wrestle-first fighter that has terrorized strikers, but he is as gritty as they come, dragging his opponents in the grime if they can’t overwhelm him with their physicality. Given he’s fighting a weight class up, I don’t think Naimov can do that, especially on short notice. 

Prediction: Mullarkey via decision 

John Casteneda vs. Muin Gafurov | Bantamweight 

If Gafurov takes this contest on a full camp, I’m picking him hands down. As it is, I have concerns. Casteneda has underrated punching power, but that’s not what worries me so much in this contest. It’s whether his pace can wear down Gafurov. Plus, Gafurov is a fantastic wrestler and I’m not sold on Casteneda’s takedown defense. It isn’t hard to see Casteneda outwork a fading Gafurov down the stretch, but I’m high enough on Gafurov to believe he can pull this out, even if just by the skin of his teeth. 

Prediction: Gafurov via decision 

Andrei Arlovski vs. Don’Tale Mayes | Heavyweight 

Arlovski has an impeccable ability to outwit and convince the judges he’s outworking his opponents. Mayes would appear to be the type of fighter who perfectly sets up Arlovski for another victory. Then again, Arlovski is 44 and the completion of his fall off the cliff could come at any minute. Mayes does have power and a massive frame after all. That could be enough to do the trick. Arlovski is near the end of the line, but the old dog still has just enough to eek past Mayes. 

Prediction: Arlovski via decision 

Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Munoz | Bantamweight 

There’s no doubt Munoz is one of the more skilled grapplers in the division, but he’s also one-dimensional. It’s hard not to see the progress in his striking, but it’s still a long way from being a legit threat in his standup. The same can’t be said of Santos. Santos is a dangerous striker with underrated know-how. His takedown defense does leave open the possibility of Munoz finding the submission that is most likely to grant him victory. However, I don’t trust Munoz wrestling for the fight to get there. The physically superior Santos cruises comfortably on his striking. 

Prediction: Santos via decision 

Elise Reed vs. Jinh Yu Frey | Women’s Strawweight 

I really want to like Reed, but she manages to give the fight away with her poor grappling every time I think she’s going to have a breakout performance. On the flip side, Frey manages to add a new wrinkle every time I feel like I should write her off. And yet, I’m sticking to my guns. Frey’s wrestling has been nonexistent since coming to the UFC and age appears to be catching up to her. Even as Frey has managed to pick up her volume, it’s been against less technical strikers than Reed. Reed should manage to outwork the harder hitter. 

Prediction: Reed via decision 

Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Luan Lacerda | Bantamweight 

Both Blackshear and Lacerda are slick ground fighters. Blackshear is more unorthodox, instigating scrambles. Lacerda has a more traditional BJJ background. Should the fight go to decision, Lacerda is the superior striker, there’s a strong incentive to lean in his direction. However, Blackshear’s funk style on the mat can be difficult to prepare for, not to mention his unusually long frame. It’s one of the harder contests on the card to pick, but Blackshear is the direction I’m headed. 

Prediction: Blackshear via submission of RD2 

Philipe Lins vs. Maxim Grishin | Light Heavyweight 

Despite being 39, Grishin might be able to continue rolling along for a few more years at 205 with his massive frame and technical striking causing problems. Of course, that has really only been effective when he’s got a distinct advantage in reach. He won’t have that against Lins. Lins’ chin is concerning, but he’s the better athlete and more versatile fighter. Putting any sort of trust in Lins is a fool’s errand, but he’s acquitted himself well to lumbering fighters. Grishin is about as lumbering as a 205er gets. 

Prediction: Lins via TKO of RD3 

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Rampage Jackson had all the tools to blow up into the biggest star in the sport. Not that he didn’t become quite a star. After all, he managed to score one of the most high-profile movie roles of anyone who managed to make it to Hollywood based on their MMA skills when he was B.A. Baracus in The A-Team. However, that role may very well have cost Jackson in the long run as he never managed the same success he found before the role. In fact, it might be responsible for the fizzling of his heated rivalry with Rashad Evans. It all culminated at UFC 114, May 29, 2010.

The origins of the Rampage Jackson vs Rashad Evans rivalry

Another of Jackson’s important career anniversary‘s was a few days ago. He upended Chuck Liddell in 2007 and while the UFC probably would have preferred Liddell hold onto the belt, they were smart enough to know Jackson’s marketability. They promoted his title fight with Forrest Griffin over a season of TUF, only for Jackson to come up short. Griffin would lose the title to Evans the same night Jackson got back on track by blasting Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92. The stage was set.

Jackson and Evans first began to heat up following Jackson’s win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96, which held the stipulation Jackson would get a title shot with a win. Evans was invited into the cage following the win and the two immediately displayed an explosive chemistry the UFC hoped to capitalize on. Unfortunately, Jackson suffered some injuries from his contest with Jardine and the UFC wanted Evans to defend in a timely fashion. Thus, Lyoto Machida got the nod and took the belt from Evans at UFC 98. 

Despite that, the UFC recognized the heat between Jackson and Evans could lead to all sorts of dollar signs. The two of them were signed up to be coaches on the 10^th season of TUF, which also happened to feature viral backyard brawler Kimbo Slice. The UFC was stacking the deck for them… and the two of them delivered in spades. In what may have been the final season to be considered a booming success for the long-running franchise, Jackson and Evans delivered several heated confrontations that delivered  the type of drama legendary rivals thrive on. Somehow, the two managed to avoid hitting one another. The door wasn’t so lucky….

The delay

The UFC set everything up beautifully, the expected culmination of their rivalry to take place at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee, Jackson’s hometown. Instead, not only did Jackson opt to take the role of Baracus, he also excoriated the UFC on his blog, declaring he was retired. Obviously, the fight with Evans wouldn’t be happening in his hometown. 

Jackson did change his mind about retirement shortly after UFC 107 in December, but Evans was already booked for a fight with Thiago Silva at UFC 108. In other words, Evans would have to beat Silva and heal up from any potential injuries before the UFC would re-book Jackson and Evans. Evans managed to win and without any major injuries, the contest was ultimately booked for UFC 114. 

Even as the rivalry lost some steam by having to wait almost six months from the completion of the TUF season, it was still a rivalry that fans were heavily invested in. UFC 114 delivered over a million buys, one of just 19 known UFC PPV’s to exceed that number. It managed to do so despite not having any other major fights attached to the card. Sure, there were notable names such as Michael Bisping, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Diego Sanchez, but their opposition didn’t have the name value required to pull additional eyes. 

The disappointing result

Unfortunately, the culmination of the rivalry proved to be anticlimactic. Jackson entered his camp out of shape following the filming of the movie and his performance reflected that. Most of the fight was spent in close quarters, either in the clinch or on the mat. Evans didn’t want anything to do with Jackson’s power. Jackson demonstrated why when he dropped Evans about a minute into the third round. Aside from Evans’ first punch of the contest – which stumbled Jackson – that proved to be the only significant drama of the fight. Evans didn’t look to do more than control Jackson, complimented by long periods of the men staring at one another. 

Evans was promised a title shot with the win, but it was delayed until the point he had to go back out and win several more fights before getting it. The first delay was due to Shogun Rua needing to heal up himself. The second delay was Evans’ own injury in training, opening the door for Jon Jones to fill in for him and take the title from Shogun. In fact, Jackson fought for the title before Evans did. Part of the delay for Evans title shot can be attributed to the deterioration of Jones’ and Evans’ friendship, but that also ensured he was in perhaps the two juciest rivalries for the UFC over a three year span. 

Of course, Evans and Jackson wasn’t the only fight that went down at UFC 114….

A brilliant comeback 

I was relieved to see Mike Russow’s comeback over Todd Duffee had a respectable ranking in Tapology’s comeback rankings, but I can’t help but feel it would be ranked higher if the two participants had greater name value. Duffee stomped a mudhole into Russow for two-and-a-half rounds before Russow blasted him with a single right hand that put Duffee out cold. In recent years, the conversation has been the hilarity of Russow’s follow-up shot, but it should take anything away from the comeback itself. 

Upset City 

There’s no denying John Hathaway upending Sanchez was an unexpected outcome. Sanchez was coming off challenging BJ Penn for the lightweight title, but given his vast amount of success at welterweight before his drop down to 155, it wasn’t expected he’d look too different. That wasn’t the case. Sanchez was overwhelmed by the bigger and stronger Hathaway. It proved to be Hathaway’s biggest career win while it firmly establishing Sanchez couldn’t be pushed as an elite fighter any longer. 

Perhaps Jason Brilz didn’t officially get the win over Nogueira at UFC 114, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a knowledgeable fan who really believed Nogueira deserved the win. Brilz managed some timely control in the first round in addition to completely owning the second. Unfortunately for Brilz, not enough judges appreciated his control in the first, two of them awarding it to Nogueira, along with a unanimous third round to the Brazilian. It proved to be the best performance of Brilz’s career, at least picking him up a FOTN bonus, even if it didn’t get him the win. 

Other notable UFC 114 fights and notes 

With the main event proving mostly disappointing, the card left a sour taste in the mouths of most. That doesn’t mean there weren’t some solid finishes. For instance, Melvin Guillard, in the midst of the best stretch of his career, crumpled Waylon Lowe with a vicious knee to the body. For a fighter known for his ferocious power, this one tends to be overlooked in Guillard’s lengthy resume. 

What may have been the real FOTN was Cyrille Diabate’s UFC debut against Luis Cane. However, it didn’t even make the halfway mark of the opening round, which might explain why Nogueira and Brilz picked up the extra cash. Cane dropped Diabate almost immediately, only for the lanky Frenchman to survive and turn the tables with surgical precision just a short time later. It’s well worth a quick watch. 

If you recognize the name of Ryan Jensen, you’re a hardcore fan from back in the day. While a respectable regional vet, Jensen proved to be a bit of a punchline in the UFC, only managing a 2-6 record in the organization. Each of those wins came against opponents who never managed to secure a win under Zuffa employ. Regardless, Jensen scored the highlight of his career at UFC 114, managing to turn the tables on Jesse Forbes in a hurry after being rocked seconds into the fight. It’s another quick watch worth delving into, lasting just 66 seconds. 

Brilz missed his 10^th wedding anniversary for the chance to fight Nogueira. I get the feeling the extra paycheck proved to be worthwhile in the eyes of his wife when Brilz stepped in for an injured Griffin on short notice.

Matt Hughes was inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame at UFC 114. While he was still an active fighter at the time, the UFC was in the habit of inducting active fighters at the time. Liddell was inducted at UFC 100 and Mark Coleman at UFC 82. However, Hughes proved to be the last fighter inducted while active without a retirement bout agreed upon.

Jump to…

For many, the Golden Era of the UFC commenced with the original TUF Finale. The legendary battle between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar has gone down in history as both one of the most entertaining and impactful fights in MMA history. However, the moment that became the flagship moment for the era came a week after the TUF Finale when Chuck Liddell claimed the light heavyweight title from Randy Couture at UFC 52. Liddell was the first UFC fighter to gain mainstream recognition, gracing the likes of ESPN the Magazine. That all came crashing down at UFC 71, 16 years ago today.

The Chuck Liddell Era 

Liddell became the poster boy for a myriad of reasons. His signature mohawk and ice-cold stare created an image of a killer that instantly made him an attraction to old school blood and guts fans. However, his soft-spoken nature, while proving to be menacing in its own way, allowed for less bloodthirsty fans to appreciate taken-care-of-business attitude. Most importantly, Liddell consistently mowed down his opposition in the cage. He wasn’t just beating them; he was knocking them out. 

Liddell’s reign as champion consisted of a bunch of sequels. Not a single one of his opponents in that time represented a fresh opponent. Of course, Liddell was also looking to get back all of his previous losses. He pulled ahead of Couture in his second defense, to give himself a 2-to-1 edge in their trilogy and pummeled Jeremy Horn in his first defense to avenge his first career loss. The only loss left to redress was to Rampage Jackson. And Liddell was fortunate enough to be getting that opportunity. 

In 2003, the UFC loaned Liddell to Pride to represent the organization in the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. The expectation was Liddell would clash in the finals with Wanderlei Silva. Jackson upset Liddell, putting a beating on the Iceman severe enough that Liddell’s corner threw in the towel. Thus, Liddell was one fight away from avenging all his career losses. 

Despite Jackson having a win over Liddell and being nearly a decade younger, Liddell entered the contest the favorite. Jackson clearly did his homework though, giving Liddell nothing to counter. Liddell ended up being the one to push the action, resulting in Jackson catching Liddell with a short right hook as Liddell attempted to retreat. In less than two minutes, the Liddell era came to a stunning end.

Liddell never re-entered the title picture again, though the Lord knows the UFC tried to get him back in the picture. Jackson was given every opportunity to develop into a generational star — though he might say otherwise — but couldn’t quite fulfill the lofty expectations for a myriad of reasons. That isn’t to say he didn’t achieve a level of fame 99% of fighters wouldn’t be jealous of, but it always felt like Jackson was capable of more, only successfully defending his title a single time.

Night of Fast Finishes 

Even though Jackson finished Liddell in less than two minutes, it was just the fourth-shortest fight of the UFC 71. To say there was some tough competition for KOoTN was an understatement. 

Keith Jardine was originally supposed to face the undefeated David Heath. Injuries on UFC 70 necessitated Heath being moved to that card and Jardine – coming off the biggest victory of his career over Forrest Griffin – was left with the unknown Houston Alexander. Around the 20 second mark, Jardine dropped Alexander. Alexander popped right up, began throwing punches as soon as Jardine clinched up with him, and dropped him on several occasions before the fight was stopped after 48 seconds. Alexander’s debut proved to be one of the most explosive in UFC history. 

However, the most unique KO of the night came at just over two minutes when Terry Martin dumped Ivan Salaverry on his head in a modified suplex. That didn’t officially stop Salaverry – the follow up punches did – but it certainly knocked Salaverry silly and added to Martin’s reputation as one of the more entertaining fights on the roster at the time. 

There were three more first round finishes, bringing the total to six for the event, a good two-thirds of the contests on the card. 

Other Notable UFC 71 Fights 

The official FOTN for UFC 71 went to Kalib Starnes and Chris Leben. When at distance, it was a pretty even contest, both landing good shots. What proved the difference for Starnes was his work on the mat. Takedowns in each of the first two rounds and a slick sweep in the final round did the trick for the native Canadian, giving him the most notable win of his career. 

Jeremy Stephens had one of the longest UFC tenures. It all started at UFC 71, against Din Thomas. Now a noted coach, Thomas had his veteran savvy on display against the 21-year-old Stephens. After controlling Stephens on the mat for the entirety of the first round, Thomas managed to pull off a badass armbar from his guard on the overwhelmed youngster for the SOTN. It proved to be the last UFC win of Thomas’ career while Stephens would go on to fight 33 more times in the organization, picking up 15 wins in the process. 

Jump to…

It’s an off-week for the UFC – the last one for a long time – meaning it’s as good of a time as any to take a look at the state of each division and determining what fight needs to be made by the UFC matchmakers. I’ve done this a few times previous — here‘s the most recent edition — and have hit the nail right on the head a few times. Even better is the UFC came out and announced a boatload of contests last week, so the field isn’t as wide open as it would have been a week ago. It makes it so much easier to decipher which fights to make.

I acknowledge there’s more to just putting two fighters together. There’s a lot of intricacies involved, but I’m not privy to those most of those details. As it is, I’ll do the best I can with what I know to make the most high-profile contest that makes sense for each division, along with my reasoning. Let’s get into it! 

Heavyweight 

This may be the easiest contest to figure out. I have a hard time believing the UFC isn’t negotiating between the camps of Curtis Blaydes and Ciryl Gane. Both are coming off high-profile losses, one to the current heavyweight champion and the other to the man expected to challenge for the title within the next year. Blaydes is vulnerable to strikers like Gane; Gane has proven vulnerable to wrestlers like Blaydes. Other fighters that would make sense for either are already tied up or in negotiations for other fights. Unless there’s an unknown injury, this is the fight that NEEDS to be made. 

Fight to make: Curtis Blaydes vs. Ciryl Gane 

Light Heavyweight 

I understand Magomed Ankalaev’s frustration. There’s good reason to argue the judges’ got the decision wrong when he fought to a draw with Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title. Unfortunately for Ankalaev, he can’t change that, nor can he change Dana White’s dissatisfaction with that fight. Given he hasn’t lost in his last ten appearances, he has the clout to fight for the title next… except for the taste in White’s mouth. To clear it, Ankalaev needs to get back into the cage. Blachowicz has figured that out; that’s why he’s fighting Alex Pereira. 

Given the uncertainty around Jiri Prochazka’s rehab, I’m of the belief the UFC should have just booked Jamahal Hill to defend against Ankalaev, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. They seem dead set on waiting for Prochazka. Thus, Ankalaev needs someone available right NOW. For those in his orbit and unscheduled, Aleksander Rakic is coming off a loss and he’s already defeated Nikita Krylov. That leaves only Johnny Walker available. If the winner can produce a solid highlight reel finish, they would have a solid case to fight for the title. 

Fight to make: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 

Middleweight 

Most of those in the official rankings are booked up. For those in the rankings that are unbooked, there isn’t a single fight amongst them that must be made; there’s reasonable options for all of them. Thus, for a fight that must be booked, I have to go down the pecking order a way. Brad Tavares and Gerald Meerschaert are two vets who are going through rough patches. Plus, they’ve both recently faced Bruno Silva. The UFC seems to love to complete those types of triangles. Both are also closer to the end of their UFC runs than they are the beginning. Neither appears completely spent, but we find out who has more left to offer this way. 

Fight to make: Brad Tavares vs. Gerald Meerschaert 

Welterweight 

I’m not going to try to figure out the title picture. Leon Edwards is facing either Colby Covington or Belal Muhammad next and I’m not going to make any speculations about who should get next. Especially given whoever is left out is likely to wait until business is taken care of. Thus, I’m moving down the hierarchy a bit. 

Shavkat Rakhmonov is becoming the odd man out in the title picture despite the appearance of the title being his destiny. He could jump the line on whoever ends up being the odd man out – most likely Muhammad – if he can secure a win over someone with some real name value. Kamaru Usman was being discussed as the welterweight GOAT just a year ago. He’s got name value and needs a major win if he hopes to get back into the picture himself. Derailing Rakhmonov would be the type of win he needs. It’s a big jump for Rakhmonov, but anything else would be a step backwards for him. 

Fight to make: Kamaru Usman vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov 

Lightweight 

The UFC made things easy for me with their booking of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. That leaves only Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot without a clear opponent for those continuing to fight at lightweight in the top 12. They’re in a similar circumstance, having lost to an opponent in the top five recently and needing a notable win before they can get another crack against one of the bigger names in the division. It’s a hell of a clash of styles, making it hard to predict who emerges victorious. I’d also expect both to be fully equipped to go a hard five rounds. Seems like a perfect Fight Night main event to me. 

Fight to make: Rafael Fiziev vs. Mateusz Gamrot 

Featherweight 

There is only question marks as to what happens at the top of the division after Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez take care of business in July. Perhaps more time will be bought if Rodriguez wins – a rematch would be guaranteed – or Volk gets another shot at lightweight gold should he dispose of Rodriguez. Despite that, the UFC would be foolish to not attempt to get someone set up to be next in short order. Arnold Allen could have filled the role without needing anything else, but he lost a close decision to Max Holloway. Is there a way to get him back on track in a hurry? 

Brian Ortega has name value, but he’s won a single fight in the last four years and is coming off a tricky shoulder injury. I can’t say when he’ll be ready. Movsar Evloev may have hurt himself by barely squeaking by a debuting Diego Lopes, but he’s still undefeated, including seven wins in the UFC. Should Evloev beat Allen, that will be enough to make him a viable contender for the belt. A win over Evloev would do the same for Allen. I’m not saying either would have bulletproof cases for a title shot, but it would be stronger than many others who have received golden opportunities. 

Fight to make: Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev 

Bantamweight 

There’s an interesting triangle between Merab Dvalishvili, Henry Cejudo, and Cory Sandhagen. I’m not going to touch what happens with those three. I know the recent drama is between Dvalishvili and Cejudo, but it doesn’t make sense to have Sandhagen fighting down. Plus, he did call out Dvalishvili a while ago. He can’t be discounted from the drama. 

The division is wide open in terms of bookings at the moment, leaving it difficult to drive down what needs to be booked. Looking over everything, the only contest that doesn’t appear to have something else that could reasonably fill in is Rob Font and Song Yadong. Both righted the ship off losses, but are still a notch below the previously mentioned field. There isn’t anyone else quite in their position. Umar Nurmagomedov is a possibility for either, but he hasn’t faced a ranked opponent yet. Given there’s no shortage of contenders in the division, I see no reason to rush him. Thus, Font and Song is the way to go.

Fight to make: Rob Font vs. Song Yadong 

Flyweight 

Manel Kape has the worst luck. Originally scheduled to fight Alex Perez in March, medical issues canceled that contest the day it was scheduled to happen. It appeared Kape lucked out as he was booked with former champion Deiveson Figueiredo. Then it turned out Figueiredo wasn’t medically cleared and now Kape is left holding the bag again. Flyweights have the shortest window, which means the UFC should want to get him booked in a meaningful fight as soon as possible. 

They could wait to have him face the winner of Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi, which is less than two weeks away. But I wouldn’t even want to wait that long. Not when Matheus Nicolau is wanting to erase his loss to Brandon Royval. Yes, Nicolau already defeated Kape two years ago, but beating Kape again would put him perhaps one more win away from fighting for the title while eliminating someone the UFC would rather push ahead of him. A win for Kape would also put him another win away from fighting for gold, perhaps even fighting for it. No other available opponent would do that for Kape. It makes sense for both to rematch. 

Fight to make: Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape II 

Women’s Bantamweight 

A youth movement is badly needed in this division. Should Amanda Nunes dispose of Irene Aldana – as most expect – the most likely opponent for Nunes would be someone she has already badly beaten. That goes for either Raquel Pennington or Julianna Pena. 

Amazingly enough, even though both have been in the organization close to a decade – they entered on the same season of TUF – they’ve never squared off. Hell, they’ve never even been scheduled to face off. It’s hard to sell either one as a challenger for either against Nunes – there was nary a groan when the trilogy fight between Nunes and Pena was cancelled due to a Pena injury – but there wouldn’t be anyone else with a reasonable resume should one eliminate the other. Pena has been stubborn about taking any other fights aside from Nunes, she might not have any other choice if enough time goes by. 

Fight to make: Julianna Pena vs. Raquel Pennington 

Women’s Flyweight 

The division is wide open – only three fighters in the official rankings are booked – but there is one fight that is so obviously in need of being made, this was one of the easier calls to make. Manon Fiorot emerged as a clear cut number one contender when she beat Katlyn Chookagian last fall. Unfortunately, she’s been dealing with injury issues since, allowing Alexa Grasso to leapfrog her. It’s possible Erin Blanchfield has also leapfrogged her by disposing of Jessica Andrade. Grasso still needs to attend to her rematch with Valentina Shevchenko, so a fight with Fiorot and Blanchfield to be number one contender makes all the sense in the world. 

Fight to make: Manon Fiorot vs. Erin Blanchfield 

Women’s Strawweight 

Given the plethora of strawweight fights that went down last week, it makes me reluctant to put some of these contests together. After all, my colleague Zane Simon has done a fine job figuring out a good route for the UFC to take with this division. The pregnancies of Carla Esparza and Tecia Torres also add complications in terms of putting together high-level fights. So rather than repeat Zane, I’ll move down the line a bit. 

The UFC has done an excellent job of matching up many of the older vets against one another. For example, we saw Matt Brown and Court McGee square off a couple of weeks ago. Why not do the same thing with the women? I’m eyeballing Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Jessica Penne. I know it’s a rematch, but that was a decade ago. Both are no longer going to be fighting for the title, but they should have something left in the tank. This contest would help us figure out who and should provide for a fun and competitive chess match on the mat. 

Fight to make: Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Jessica Penne 

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Jump to…

UFC Vegas 73 has come and gone and we’re not going to waste any time getting into the nitty gritty of the details. After all, this is the Rapidfire Recap. Just a few sentences on every fight, no fluff. Let’s get into it: 

UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs Angela Hill Main Card

Mackenzie Dern appeared to pick up a mean streak amidst her divorce. She was out to hurt Angela Hill and did so on several occasions. Hill was never able to open up her own offense out of fear of Dern getting her to the mat. Then again, it may be because Dern hurt her on several occasions. Regardless, Mackenzie Dern may not have found the submission, but dominated in every way. 

Anthony Hernandez won a grueling, gritty contest over Edmen Shahbazyan, just as most expected. Hernandez overcame a strong start from Shahbazyan, keeping his composure and waiting for Shahbazyan to slow. It didn’t happen as soon as many expected as Shahbazyan was more measured than he was in the past, but it did happen. Both displayed improvement. 

Loopy Godinez is one of the ultimate gamers. Despite being one of the smaller members of the roster, she’s not afraid to walk forward and throw fisticuffs. Emily Ducote had a chance to take the win and Godinez faded some down the stretch. It didn’t happen, Godinez sealing the deal with an intelligent takedown near the end of the fourth. 

Both Joaquin Buckley and Andre Fialho had their moments. The difference was Buckley letting his fists and feet fly. Fialho spent too much time making reads. There’s something to be said for accurate reads, but there’s also something to be said for throwing stuff out there, increasing the odds that something lands. That said, brilliant finish from Buckley. 

In classic Michael Johnson fashion, he was finished in the second by Diego Ferreira after a strong first round. What wasn’t classic is Johnson was fighting the fight he was supposed to fight. He just got caught by a massive overhand from Ferreira. In other words, I’m not convinced Ferreira isn’t on the downside and I don’t blame a mental miscue on Johnson’s side for the loss. 

UFC Vegas 73 Prelims

I don’t know why anyone would want to voluntarily stand with Viacheslav Borshchev. Both of his UFC losses have come by opponents taking and keeping him on the mat whereas he’s blasted away those who’ve opted to stand with him. Maheshate is bigger and probably has more natural power, but he was added to the list, even after Borshchev struggled with his vision due to an eye poke. 

Karolina Kowalkiewicz is a supreme example of what a fighter can do when they’re confident. Having looked like a shell of herself at the end of her five-fight losing streak, she picked up a couple of wins and looked better than she has in years in outworking the always dangerous Vanessa Demopoulos. I’m not saying Kowalkiewicz is anywhere back to being a title contender, but she’s far from being washed up as many of us were saying. 

So… Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Ilir Latifi happened. Nascimento’s reach was the biggest difference, allowing him to land more volume and avoid Latifi’s power. Smart fight from the big Brazilian, but it wasn’t much to look at. 

Beating Orion Cosce doesn’t prove you belong in the UFC. Dominating him the way Gilbert Urbina did might be enough to convince any haters Urbina belongs. His size at welterweight is going to be a hell of a puzzle for his opponents to solve moving forward. With his weight loss, expect Cosce to join his brother on the outside of the UFC. 

It can’t be denied that Chase Hooper looked like a million bucks when he overwhelmed Nick Fiore from bell to bell. But those declaring he has arrived need to rein in their excitement as Fiore is one of the least experienced fighters on the roster. The move to lightweight appears to be good for Hooper and he’s progressing, but let’s slow the roll. 

Victoria Leonardo was the aggressor early on, but it was no competition once Natalia Silva got her feet underneath her. Once the Brazilian did so, she overwhelmed Leonardo with punches and kicks that left Leonardo battered and broken before the first round was up. Silva looks like she’s going to be a contender in short order.

Themba Gorimbo is a rabid dog. Even when clearly exhausted, he continued to press forward against Takashi Sato. That extended to refusing to accept position as well. Despite not finding the finish, it was a promising performance which will likely send Sato packing his bags. 

For more in-depth discussion, click here for the 6th Round recap.

Jump to…

Daniel Cormier has been one of the most prominent faces associated with the UFC for quite some time. It’s understandable. A multiple-time Olympic wrestler with a fun personality and a clean rap sheet, he’s exactly the type of person the UFC wants to present to the public. I’m not saying he’s everyone’s cup of tea, but the UFC could feel confident he wasn’t going to do anything to embarrass the organization. That was all on top of his impressive accomplishments. Even after retirement, the UFC has retained his services as an announcer. Basically, Cormier has become synonymous with the UFC. 

Given all that, it’s easy to forget Cormier’s first major accomplishment in MMA didn’t occur within the confines of the organization he is so closely tied to. Not that he wasn’t under Zuffa employment at the time, but it could be argued his claiming of the title of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix was the last shining moment of Strikeforce on May 19, 2012. 

Daniel Cormier’s Arrival 

When the Heavyweight Grand Prix was announced about a year-and-a-half earlier, Daniel Cormier wasn’t on anyone’s radar to be the winner. Literally. He wasn’t one of the original eight participants. Cormier earned his spot in the tournament by winning an alternate bout over former UFC title challenger Jeff Monson and a bit of luck when Alistair Overeem – the favorite in the eyes of many – opted out of the tournament. That opened the door for Cormier to step in and make the most of his opportunity. 

Cormier had entered his contest with Antonio Silva as a slight underdog. That sounds ridiculous to think of nowadays, but Silva was fresh off demolishing Fedor Emelianenko when many were still of the belief that Fedor was still the heavyweight king, despite his loss to Fabricio Werdum. Cormier tore through him like he was nothing, not even needing his vaunted wrestling to put the big Brazilian on his back. That set up a meeting with Josh Barnett, the former UFC champion who easily disposed of Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov with respective arm-triangle chokes. For greater detail, click here.

No doubt drawing on his plentiful Olympic experience, Cormier showed no sign of nervousness going against one of the heavyweight greats. You’d never know Cormier was the one with less than three years of professional MMA experience. He used his speed and angles to piece up Barnett on the feet, not bothering to look for a takedown until midway through the second round. There was no doubt who won the first three rounds. That said, while Barnett began finding some success in the final two rounds, Cormier still managed to completely sweep the scorecards when the judges’ scorecards were read off, claiming the championship of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. 

It would be a stretch to say Cormier was dominant, but it was as impressive of a showing as anyone could ask for given Cormier’s experience. The highlight of the right came in the third round. Cormier had literally picked up and dumped Barnett early in the round with a high crotch single leg. He also hurt Barnett on the feet with a head kick a little later in the round, but the finish didn’t follow. Regardless, Cormier handled one of the best heavyweights on the planet with a level of ease that indicated Cormier was going to be something special. To say he lived up to the expectations would be an understatement.

Forgotten Trilogy 

There’s no doubt what contest delivered in terms of both entertainment and competitiveness for the card: the trilogy fight between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson. When people talk about all-time great trilogies, this one doesn’t seem to be brought up as much as it should. For one, it’s a rarity in the sense that all three contests were for a major title, the Strikeforce lightweight title in this case. Thomson clearly won the first contest, Melendez clearly won the second. The third contest wasn’t just for the title; it was also for bragging rights. 

The third contest proved to be the most competitive of the trilogy. Melendez started strong, taking the first two rounds, though hardly in dominant fashion. The third round was extremely close as Thomson began to make the necessary adjustments. Thomson had things figured out over the last two rounds, coming close to finishing Melendez in the fourth and taking the fifth. The third round proved to be the swing round, Melendez retaining the title and taking the trilogy, much to the chagrin of many viewers. 

Other Notes 

The UFC had already begun transitioning select Strikeforce fighters to the UFC roster – for instance, Dan Henderson’s legendary bout with Shogun Rua had occurred six months previously – but it wasn’t at full force yet. Not everyone on the card made the transition over to the UFC, but everyone who won their fights did. Well, perhaps I should say everyone who originally won their fight…. 

There may not be a fight that better encapsulates the career of Rafael Cavalcante than his rematch with Mike Kyle. Cavalcante rocked Kyle with a knee before finishing him off with a guillotine in just 33 seconds. Unfortunately, he popped for PED’s later and had the win overturned. Flashes of brilliance marked his career – he did win the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship – but he was always his own worst enemy. 

All five of the preliminary fights went to a decision. Despite that, the contests served plenty of entertainment value. Most notable was Isaac Vallie-Flagg overcoming a strong start by Gesias Cavalcante to outwork the former K-1 Hero’s lightweight grand prix champion down the stretch with his trademark dogged determination. 

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It’s easy to rip on the UFC for some of the card quality they present week in and week out, but it can’t be denied they tend to put forth consistently competitive contests. UFC Vegas 73 is no exception. Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill may not be the highest quality main event – it was moved over from the middle of last week’s main card – but it is a competitive contest. You’ve come to the right place if you need all the action broken down for the card as I’ll give you the boldest of predictions for UFC Vegas 73. 

Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill | Women’s Strawweight 

It takes the slightest amount of MMA knowledge to know this will be a striker vs. grappler contest. Dern is one of the most decorated BJJ practitioners on the roster while Hill comes from a Muay Thai background. Of course, Hill has more MMA experience and is technically the better fighter all-around. However, she lacks the finishing ability of Dern, meaning she’s likely to need to go the distance if she wants to emerge the victor. 

The dynamic is simple enough. If Dern can get the fight to the mat, there’s a good chance she can finish Hill. Hill has vastly improved her ground skills over the years, so I wouldn’t say a submission is automatic for Dern. Hill’s takedown defense has also improved over the years. However, all that said, Dern is supremely talented and has proven she can get the fight to the mat on her sheer physicality, even if her technique is lacking. She’ll have five rounds to find a finish. With her doggedness, I think she can do it, especially as Hill enters the stage when Father Time can begin to get the best of her. 

Prediction: Dern via submission of RD3 

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez | Middleweight 

Shahbazyan was given a bit of a layup with Dalcha Lungiambula in his last fight, but he responded with the type of mature performance needed for people to believe he’s not a bust. That said, even if he isn’t a bust, he could very well still come up short against Hernandez. Hernandez is a prospect further along in his development. The question is whether that alone is enough to make up for the physical disparities between the two of them as Shahbazyan is one of the more gifted middleweights on the roster. But is he that much more gifted? 

Shahbazyan is exceptionally explosive, scoring three first round finishes in his five UFC wins. That also came with the price of his draining his gas tank in a hurry. And while he paced himself against Lungiambula, Lungiambula also fights at a deliberate pace. Hernandez probably won’t let him. This is a winnable fight for Shahbazyan, but he’s still figuring out how to fight intelligently. That takes time. This will prove to be a learning experience for him. 

Prediction: Hernandez via submission of RD2 

Emily Ducote vs. Loopy Godinez | Women’s Strawweight 

Ducote had a LOT of people on her bandwagon. She was a slight favorite against Hill – the card’s headliner – heading into her last contest. She came out looking exceptionally flat in that contest. Whether it was Angela Hill having the perfect game plan or Ducote shrinking under the pressure can only be speculated. Regardless, the sheen is off… which very well means she’s being underestimated due to recency bias. After all, it can’t be argued that she’s the cleaner striker and bigger fighter against Godinez. 

Godinez isn’t the striker Hill is, but she will apply the pressure and will threaten with takedowns. However, being one of the smallest competitors on the roster has limited her wrestling effectiveness and her striking gets by more on effort than technique. Ducote is a solid wrestler and has enough power to potentially tamper Godinez’s attack. If nothing else, Godinez does tend to fade. I also can’t help but feel everyone is giving up on Ducote too quick. 

Prediction: Ducote via decision 

Andre Fialho vs. Joaquin Buckley | Welterweight 

No one doubts the power of either Fialho or Buckley. Both are talented strikers with some highlight reel finishes within the confines of the UFC. Both have also been on the receiving end of some nasty finishes, leaving many to question their upside given the weakness of their chin. There’s even more reason to question Buckley given he’s returning to 170, a place he left due to the difficulty of the weight cut. Maybe they don’t hit as hard at welterweight, but his chin Isn’t going to get any better if he’s dehydrating himself more. 

Fialho may be the better striker based solely on striking technique, but his success has also come against a lower level of competition. Even when Buckley has been losing, he’s been competitive to a degree. For instance, he easily outworking Chris Curtis before the lights were turned out. That could happen again with Fialho, but the odds are just as good that he turns out Fialho’s. Throw in that Buckley is the busier striker and he feels like the fighter more likely to get his hand raised. 

Prediction: Buckley via TKO of RD2 

Michael Johnson vs. Diego Ferreira | Lightweight 

Two years ago, the narrative would be Ferreira is just on the outside of being a contender while Johnson is washed. In the modern day, Ferreira appears to be washed while Johnson, perhaps not circling contendership, is experiencing a revitalization of sorts. Johnson isn’t the quick-twitch athlete he was in his prime, but he’s still far superior to Ferreira and his hand speed doesn’t appear to have diminished much, if at all. 

Ferreira’s once vaunted gas tank appears to have faded and he doesn’t appear capable of taking the punishment he once could. There’s always – and I mean always – the possibility Johnson makes a stupid mistake and gets himself submitted. That’s Johnson’s M.O. But Johnson has also displayed more maturity in his last three contests than he has at any other point of his career. It’s a risky pick, but I see Johnson puts away a fading Ferreira before he can make a dumb mistake. 

Prediction: Johnson via KO of RD1 

Maheshate vs. Viachslav Borshchev | Lightweight 

Everyone knows the way to beat Borshchev. The former kickboxer is miserable at stopping takedowns. Maheshate hasn’t even attempted a takedown, much less succeeded in completing one. Maheshate is bigger and a superior athlete, but Borshchev is durable and the superior technician. Borshchev’s overall combat sports experience should shine through for him on this stage… provided Maheshate hasn’t been holding out on us with his wrestling abilities. 

Prediction: Borshchev via TKO of RD2 

Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Vanessa Demopoulos | Women’s Strawweight 

Demopoulos may be on a three-fight win streak, but it has come against competition with major holes in their game. There was an argument Kowalkiewicz was shot about a year ago, but a change in camps and some time away has revitalized her, resulting in consecutive wins for her. Like Demopoulos, her competition has been questionable. However, Kowalkiewicz, provided she isn’t shot, is technically sound and likely to chew up the diminutive Demopoulos in the clinch. Confidence is lacking in my pick, but Kowalkiewicz appears to have found herself. If she has, it’s a confident pick. 

Prediction: Kowalkiewicz via decision 

Orion Cosce vs. Gilbert Urbina | Welterweight 

I don’t want to put much into Cosce’s win over Blood Diamond given Diamond doesn’t appear to belong anywhere near a UFC cage. Regardless, he showed a maturity in his performance that had been lacking, giving pause on labeling him a bust. The jury is still out on Urbina for that. What I do like is Urbina’s massive size advantage and experience against quality competition. Urbina’s defense worries me given Cosce isn’t lacking for power, but I’ll base this pick on which one has the higher ceiling given the massive question marks surrounding both men. 

Prediction: Urbina via submission of RD3 

Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento | Heavyweight 

Latifi has never been submitted. Given Nascimento is the rare heavyweight who prefers to grapple, that’s a major point worth making. However, Latifi is looking older with every passing fight and was able to lay on top of a pair of opponents who were lacking in the grappling department off their back. Nascimento is better from the top, but he can at least threaten off his back, which should create room for him to escape as well. Plus, Nascimento has the type of reach that will make Latifi securing takedowns problematic in the first place. 

Prediction: Nascimento via decision 

Chase Hooper vs. Nick Fiore | Lightweight 

It was common knowledge Hooper would have to make a move to lightweight sooner rather than later, but the hope was he’d develop his wrestling skills by the time he needed to start fighting larger opponents. It hasn’t happened. Fiore isn’t exactly a blue-chipper – nor is he huge for 155 – but he is more physically developed than Hooper and fights with the type of aggression that has proven problematic for Hooper. Hooper does have an unusual level of craftiness for someone his age, but it feels foolish to rely on that securing him a win when his style of fight requires him to be the bigger, stronger fighter. He’s not that anymore. 

Prediction: Fiore via decision 

Victoria Leonardo vs. Natalia Silva | Women’s Flyweight 

Someone in the UFC brass doesn’t like Leonardo. She’s a physical and gritty test for a young fighter, but she’s also very limited in her physical gifts. Silva has already proven to be one of the more talented prospects in the division. She has arguably beaten a higher level of competition than Leonardo too. I get the feeling the UFC is hoping Silva can secure some sort of a highlight reel finish. Given Leonardo’s history of being finished, I see no reason not to believe it won’t happen. 

Prediction: Silva via KO of RD2 

Takashi Sato vs. Themba Gorimbo | Welterweight 

There’s a lot of holes in Gorimbo’s game. There’s also a lot of holes in Sato’s game. It comes down to who you believe is going to have those holes exposed first. Sato’s UFC wins have come over opponents with dissipated chins. That doesn’t appear to be Gorimbo’s issue. Sato has been his ground game. Gorimbo isn’t a technical savant, but he is aggressive in hunting for submissions. Gorimbo is on the old side for a prospect, but he is still improving. Given Sato appears to be a finished product, I’ll go with Gorimbo. 

Prediction: Gorimbo via submission of RD1 

A bit of a soft brag, but I am leading the staff picks as we enter UFC Vegas 73. Just sayin’….

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It’s common knowledge that the UFC originated with running one-night tournaments. What’s also commonly known is the UFC debuted in 1993, especially since the UFC is hammering home this is their 30^th anniversary. What isn’t commonly known is when the UFC moved away from the tournament structure. After a few experiments to walk away from the format, the UFC produced their last international tournament May 15, 1998, at UFC 17: Redemption, 25 years ago today.

For full transparency, the UFC did run one more single-night tournament at UFC 23. However, that was at the request of the Japanese audience for what was intended to be the beginning of a separate promotion, UFC Japan. Clearly, things didn’t work out that way and while UFC 23 may have been the last official tournament, the last international tournament was UFC 17 as UFC 23’s tournament was limited to Japanese participants. 

‘Decision’ Dan Henderson gets UFC tournament title

It’s fair to call it an international affair as well. The four-man middleweight — which was 199 pounds and under at the time — tournament consisted of two Americans, a Canadian, and a Brazilian. For those versed in MMA around the turn of the century, three of those names were amongst the most prominent in the sport: Dan Henderson, Carlos Newton, and Allan Goes. The fourth participant, Bob Gilstrap, faded into anonymity, but he entered the evening with more official MMA experience than the other participants. 

Henderson would kick off the UFC 17 tournament with a nip and tuck contest with Goes. It was a bit of a clunky mess as neither were well-versed in striking. Goes delivered a pair of knockdowns on the inexperienced Henderson, not to mention some heavy leg kicks. Nevertheless, it was the right hand for Henderson that made the difference, scoring a series of heavy uppercuts in the overtime, securing a late knockdown to impress the judges enough for the decision. On the other side of the bracket, Newton spammed for an armbar that turned into a triangle choke, eliminating Gilstrap in less than a minute. 

The finals remains controversial to this day… at least for those who remember that far back. Newton hurt Henderson on several occasions, including right out of the gate. Henderson relied on his wrestling skills to not only take Newton down, but hold him down for long stretches of time. The most notable moment was a knee from Newton that had Henderson dancing before going down. Unfortunately for Newton, the judges preferred Henderson’s control to Newton’s dynamic offense.

By the time Henderson retired, he was known for his powerful right hand, it affectionately being known as the “H-Bomb” by fans. Prior to his successfully patenting his power, Henderson was known as “Decision Dan” for two reasons. Obviously, one of those reasons was the propensity of his fights to go the distance. The other was for his ability to secure decisions he probably didn’t deserve. The roots of that moniker can be traced back to Henderson’s winning of the tournament. Not only is it widely believed Henderson didn’t deserve the decision against Newton, there’s a fair population that believe he lost the Goes fight too. 

UFC 17 Notable Debuts 

The official start of the tournament saw a pair of fighters new to the UFC squaring off to serve as the alternate should anyone get hurt. Noe Hernandez had the greater resume at the time, but his debuting opponent would go on to secure a dominant decision in a largely forgettable fight, at least by today’s standards. The legacy that man had was anything but forgettable, as the MMA world got their first look at Chuck Liddell. 

Even with Liddell touching down, Pete Williams made the biggest splash. In fact, it’s up there with Anderson Silva as the best non-tournament UFC debut. Brought in as a replacement after Mark Coleman’s original opponent – Randy Couture for the heavyweight title – was forced to pull out due to a rib injury, Williams was a MASSIVE underdog. After all, the PPV was named Redemption in anticipation of Coleman regaining his title. Now that he was facing a promotional newcomer, redemption of some sort seemed to be even more likely. 

Coleman started out strong, scoring some takedowns and delivering some of his trademark GnP. Unfortunately for him, Coleman blew his wad pretty quickly without having put Williams away. Williams delivered a series of kicks to the legs of Coleman, helping to immobilize Coleman. Coleman proved immobile enough for Williams to deliver one of the all-time highlight reel head kicks, something that has been played over and over in the annals of UFC history. The fight would eventually be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing.

Given the UFC was a transient organization at the time, it wasn’t unusual for fighters to make their promotional debut fighting for a title. That’s what Jeremy Horn did, challenging Frank Shamrock for what would become the light heavyweight title. The 22-year-old Horn was clearly nervous, securing takedowns but doing little with them. Much like Shamrock would do in his title defense against Tito Ortiz, he bided his time until he found the proper opening, securing a kneebar immediately after the larger Horn dragged him to the mat for the final time for Shamrock’s second successful title defense. 

Mike van Arsdale also debuted at UFC 17, fresh off winning a notable eight-man tournament in Brazil. He secured an armlock after pounding out Joe Pardo on a fight that was almost exclusively on the mat. For many, it was van Arsdale’s coaching career they are more familiar with, having a notable role in TUF 10 with Rashad Evans’ team. His most notable accomplishment in his fighting career was being the lone non-title fight for Couture from 1997-2008. 

Many have forgotten about Andre Roberts, also known as “Big Chief.” Even more have never heard of him. Nevertheless, the massive and charismatic Native American was a UFC favorite for a few years, delivering a brutal elbow against the cage to drop Harry Moskowitz. As the UFC moved away from super heavyweights, Roberts became a largely forgotten figure. 

Other Fun UFC 17 Facts

The title fight between Shamrock and Horn wasn’t originally shown with the rest of the UFC 17 event. The UFC was going to be running what was essentially a best-of PPV not long after this event. In order to get distributors to carry it, they needed to offer a never-before-seen fight fans would be willing to pay money for in order to sit through other fights many would already be aware of the outcome. Nothing better to attract them than a title fight…. 

UFC 17 would feature the last time longtime UFC veteran Tank Abbott would secure a win within the organization. When Abbott won, fights rarely took a long time to play out, only one of his career wins coming past the three minute mark. His win over Hugo Duarte took just 43 seconds, escaping an armbar attempt before delivering his heavy brand of GnP. In classic form, Abbott threw in a kick for good measure after Big John McCarthy had already pulled him off. 

A commentator for the organization at the time, Jeff Blatnick addressed all the fighters and the members of the athletic commission in a pre-fight meeting. In the meeting, Blatnick stressed the need to make the sport more palatable for the general public. After all, this was a time when most cable and satellite providers wouldn’t carry the PPV’s. He asked to have them all refer to the sport as “Mixed Martial Arts.” There were several names going around at the time, most notably “No Holds Barred.” It wasn’t the first time the sport was referred to as MMA, but it was the first concerted push to refer to it that way. Obviously, it stuck. 

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UFC on ABC 4 has come and gone and we’re not going to waste any time getting into the nitty gritty of the details. After all, this is the Rapidfire Recap. Just a few sentences on every fight, no fluff. Let’s get into it: 

UFC on ABC 4 Main Card 

Jairzinho Rozenstruik may have stuffed the first takedown from Jailton Almeida, but he couldn’t stop the second. It was elementary from there. Almeida surgically worked his way to finding the back of Rozenstruik to sink in a RNC and extend his UFC winning streak to five. Good chance he fights for gold sometime in 2024.

It used to be that Johnny Walker created all sorts of excitement with his explosive attacks. He’s matured to the point where he takes what is given to him, chewing up the leg of Anthony Smith to the point the vet was on wobbly legs the final half. Walker has finally matured into a contender. Smith is looking old; his days as a contender are done. 

His brashness will ensure Ian Machado Garry will always have his haters. Given the way Garry systematically picked apart Daniel Rodriguez for a first round finish will have those who are honest with themselves admitting he’s good. Very good. The hope is the ease of the win doesn’t encourage the UFC to pick up the pace in which they push him. 

Given his lack of experience, it’s been nice to see the UFC bringing Carlos Ulberg along slowly. Ihor Potieria was a favorable matchup for him and Ulberg did what he was expected to do with the first round KO. However, the ease in which Ulberg accomplished it indicates he may be ready for a notable step up in competition. Four consecutive wins says the same thing. 

Alex Morono and Tim Means put on an entertaining scrap, as expected. Means was getting the timing on Morono, scoring a blitz of offense to end the first and landing a pair of perfectly timed takedowns. Unfortunately for him, Morono set him up, sinking in a fight-ending guillotine. Despite the loss, Means still has something to offer at 39. 

UFC on ABC 4 Prelims 

Matt Brown didn’t need a huge opening for his power to do it’s thing. Court McGee was wisely pursuing a grinding affair, pushing the 42-year-old Brown against the cage. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that for the entirety of the fight. Brown killed McGee’s will to fight with a clean shot to the forehead late in the first round, tying Brown for the record for most KO’s in UFC history at 13. 

Karl Williams has talent; he just needs to figure out the intricacies of the game. Not having those nearly allowed Chase Sherman to steal the final two rounds. Despite coming up short, it may have been enough for Sherman to keep his job despite his ghastly 4-11 UFC record. 

The judges didn’t screw over Cody Stamann, but the referee may have. Even though it was Douglas Silva de Andrade who threw an illegal upkick, Stamann lost the dominant position on the mat. Aside from that, de Andrade outvolumed Stamann comfortably over the first two rounds to take the decision. 

Mandy Bohm and Ji Yeon Kim started as a competitive, back-and-forth contest. It ended up being a complete trash fire, Kim delivering illegal strikes and Bohm showing her acting chops. Referee shouldn’t have taken the point after the fight was called, which created all the confusion at the end. Bohm saves job only because Kim decides she doesn’t want to fight in the UFC anymore. 

Given Gabe Green appeared to be the more skilled boxer entering the fight, I don’t know why he opted to turn his fight with Bryan Battle into a brawl. It may have cost him his UFC employment, getting KO’d in 14 seconds. Battle proved his previous KO of Takashi Sato wasn’t a fluke. 

Tainara Lisboa proved she isn’t just a Muay Thai fighter. Takedown defense and get up ability compliments her stinging strikes perfectly. Jessica-Rose Clark is likely to receive her walking papers after third consecutive loss, all submissions. 

Themes of the Night of UFC on ABC 4

Youth movement is full effect as each of the fighters with a clearly defined higher upside won each of their contests. 

Excellent night for Brazilians, all four of them emerging victorious. 

Bad night for referees. I don’t hate the stoppage with Bohm and Kim, but the point shouldn’t have been taken after the stoppage. It’s worth saying twice. Potentially cost Stamann a win too.