Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero
As predicted, this fight wasn’t as action-packed as people hoped. This was mainly down to how dangerous Romero is. The opening two rounds were extremely slow with neither fighter wanting to lead. Romero landed the more eye-catching shots early but as the fight went on, Adesanya started having success with leg kicks.
There is still much debate whether Adesanya deserved to retain his title as Romero seemed to be landing the harder shots whenever they engaged. However, I do not feel that this fight can be called a robbery no matter who won. In reality, this was an extremely low volume fight with neither man putting a stamp on it.
All in all, this is a very good win for Adesanya and despite facing criticism for it now, people will forget the performance and remember the result. The middleweight GOAT, Anderson Silva, had several slow fights during his title reign but is still remembered as one of the most exciting fighters ever.
Luckily for us, the next challenger for the middleweight title seems to be Paulo Costa. The Brazilian has an all-out pressure style which means that pretty much any fight he is in is a fight of the night contender.
Weili Zhang vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Unlike the main event, this fight exceeded all expectations. From the very first minute, both women fought at a very high pace and initiated exchanges in the pocket. The story of the fight was Zhang’s more damaging strikes against Jedrzejczyk’s volume. After likely winning the first two rounds, it seemed that Zhang’s cardio started to fade, this wasn’t helped by a head clash which seemed to leave her stunned. However, Zhang found her way back into the fight and did much better in the fifth round which likely won her the fight.
Both women’s stocks rose as a direct result of their fight with many calling their fight the greatest women’s fight in MMA history. This loss does put Joanna in unfamiliar territory having 4 out of her last 6 fights. I believe that she is at the top of the strawweight division and may get another shot at the title with a win.
Zhang answered a lot of questions with her performance. She showed that she can go 5 rounds with a cardio machine in Jedrzejczyk whilst painting her power into the championship rounds. UFC clearly sees a potential star in her and hopes to continue to expand into the Chinese market. Should Rose Namajunas beat Jessica Andrade in their rematch then it’s likely that the UFC will want to make that fight, perhaps in China.
Beneil Dariush vs Drakkar Klose
This fight had a contender for round/exchange in the year after a dominant first round for Dariush where he had Klose’s back for the majority of the round. However, as the second round started it was evident that Dariush burnt out his legs with the body triangle. Klose looked to take advantage and seemed to stun Dariush with several of his punches. Just as it seemed that Dariush was on his way out he responded with a combination of his own which hurt Klose and caused him to retreat. Dariush followed up and landed a brutal knock out blow against the fence.
This is a big win for Dariush and puts him on a 4 fight win streaks and an opportunity to fight a ranked opponent. However, his weaknesses made an appearance in this fight – questionable cardio, striking defence and durability. Despite this, Dariush is still a very skilled fighter and will be a tough test for anyone in the division.
Neil Magny vs Li Jingliang
This was a surprising result to me, despite Magny being an established fighter in the division. Jingliang came in on a good run of form and seemed like a tough stylistic matchup for Magny. However, Magny was able to pick The Leech apart from distance and outfight him in the clinch. Magny was the better fighter all around and showed that he is still a top 15 level fighter in a stacked division. Going forward, I think that Magny will still be used as a gatekeeper to test out up and coming prospects.
Alex Oliveira vs Max Griffin
A fun, sloppy fight as expected. Oliveira and Griffin put on an exciting fight that had a bit of everything. Oliveira started well but got stunned and found himself underneath Griffin for the majority of the round. The Brazilian Cowboy then had a big second round and the first half of the final round where he was able to get dominant positions. Griffin rallied late but was unable to do enough in the judges’ eyes to win the round. With this win, Oliveira breaks his 3 fight losing streak and continues to be a factor in the division as a fun action fighter that will take on all comers.
Sean O’Malley vs Jose Alberto Quinonez
Suga Show 2.0 returned in style and put on the best performance of his UFC career. O’Malley accepted being on the back foot and circled the octagon well. The finish came after O’Malley threw Quinonez to the ground and caught him with a punch as he got back up before following up with ground and pound for the stoppage.
This win brings back the hype O’Malley had before his lay off. With how competitive the bantamweight division is, I would like O’Malley to pick up one more win before fighting a ranked opponent before trying to break into the top 15.
Mark Madsen vs Austin Hubbard
This was a good fight to evaluate Madsen as a prospect. He had a very strong start and used his wrestling well to control Hubbard for the first two rounds, even landing a spectacular duplex early. However, as the fight went on, Hubbard started to have more success with his striking. Hubbard visibly hurt Madsen with a knee in the third round but was unable to put him away. Madsen picked up a unanimous decision victory but showed that there are holes in his game that he needs to fix if he wants to make a run in the division.
Rodolfo Vieira vs Saparbek Safarov
Vieira did what was expected of him as he picked up a first-round submission via an arm triangle. However, credit has to go to Safarov for making it interesting. The Russian landed a nice kick early which damaged Vieira’s eye and made go for a takedown. Vieira probably needed finish because if the fighters went back to their corners, the doctor would have likely stopped the fight with how damaged Vieira’s eye was. I’m interested to see how Vieira develops as a prospect and if he can break the top 10 in the next couple of years.
Gerald Meerschaert vs Deron Winn
The two areas in which Meerschaert had the advantage played a big part in his win. Meerschaert’s length caused a lot of problem for Winn in the stand-up department as he was able to hit his opponent from a different postcode. Experience was also key, Meerschaert was able to overcome a tough start to the third round when he got hurt by Winn and turned the tide by stunning Winn himself before securing a rear-naked choke.
Meerschaert continues to be a great gatekeeper and action fighter in the middleweight division whilst Winn has to reassess his options and whether he should move down in weight to not be as outsized.
Giga Chikadze vs Jamal Emmers
This was a frustrating fight to watch if you picked Emmers to win. Emmers did not show the urge to wrestle despite it being his path to victory. On the feet, Chikadze was clearly the better striker and stunned Emmers several times. Emmers had success in the third round after Chikadze got tired but it was too late to make a difference. A split decision win for Chikadze puts him 2-0 in the UFC. I hope the UFC matches him with other strikers so that we can see some fun fights.
Danaa Batgerel vs Guido Cannetti
I picked Cannetti as I thought he was the more well-rounded fighter as well as the better athlete. Unfortunately for Cannetti it seems that age has finally caught up with him. Batgerel looked like the sharper and quicker fighter and was able to land cleanly several times before getting the knockout. Batgerel fought much more aggressively than in his debut and could be a fun addition to the bantamweight division going forward.