According to the sheets, there were precisely 12 winners and 12 losers at UFC Fight Night 57. As we all know, however, things are never quite that simple.
Some improved their lot more than others through victory. Some lost more through defeat than others, and others who weren’t even in the cage made gains or felt losses Saturday.
The biggest winners on the night, by a mile, were the UFC and Conor McGregor. I could give a long-winded explanation, but Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter spelled it out quite well here.
The biggest losers, however, were once-resurgent veterans. 2013 was defined by fighters like Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler making unexpected climbs into the welterweight title picture after lengthy stints as midcarders. Fight Night 57 featured two fighters in similar positions: Cub Swanson and Bobby Green.
Swanson entered the night on an amazing six-fight winning streak, beating multiple ranked fighters including Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver and Charles Oliveira. Bobby Green, meanwhile, had an eight-win run to his credit, most recently upsetting Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson.
While many were expecting them to take that one final step toward title contention, both stumbled and tumbled back to the ground floor.
So who won the night? Who didn’t? Find out here.