Mookie Alexander recaps and analyzes everything that happened at UFC 250 in Las Vegas
In the main event of UFC 250, Amanda Nunes trounced Felicia Spencer as we all expected, and Spencer once again showed just how incredibly tough she is to put away. She can say she’s fought Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes and went the distance with both of them.
But should this have really gone the distance?
I thought Spencer was clearly overmatched but there wasn’t any cause for concern through two rounds. Then Nunes turned up the volume in round three. Then round four she just about knocked her out and gave her a hematoma, not to mention nearly choked her out but ran out of time. At that point, I saw no reason for Spencer’s corner to let her continue. Herb Dean probably should’ve stopped it towards the end of the 4th. Nunes damn near showed mercy in the final round by mostly grappling with her and not beating her up more on the feet.
We had this corner stoppage debate already with Glover Teixeira vs. Anthony Smith, and even though this was a title fight and the stakes were higher, it was obvious to everyone that Spencer had no path to victory and predictably took more punishing blows than necessary. I will not knock her courage, her toughness, or her determination, but she was overmatched from the start and Nunes just crushed her without ever even getting out of second gear. MMA culture has to be better than this, because a boxing corner worth its salt 100% throws in the towel.
Anyway, Nunes has become the first fighter in UFC history to have active champ-champ status and defend both titles. A trilogy with Valentina Shevchenko is really the only thing I think resembles a competitive matchup for her at this stage of her career. Megan Anderson likely gets destroyed, there’s no really compelling #1 contender at 135 lbs at the moment — maybe Irene Aldana can make a title run? — but Shevchenko is the only fighter in recent years who’s given Amanda fits. Shevchenko can defend her belt at 125, and if she wins, why not go back to 135 to see them scrap again?
More thoughts below:
Main Card
- Former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt was composed and fighting smartly against Raphael Assuncao, and then he unleashed a bomb of a right hand AS THE HORN SOUNDED to end round two. Good night, Raphael. Spectacular KO to end a three-fight losing streak and get back into bantamweight title contention. He’s still fast, he’s still powerful, and he looked very good in what was a must-win bout against a longtime contender. The bantamweight division gave us KO of the Year contenders on the same PPV.
- WOW!!! Aljamain Sterling vs. Cory Sandhagen was my most anticipated fight on the card and Sterling just OWNED Sandhagen. Early pressure striking, early back take, human Jansport mode, body triangle, then a rear-naked choke all in less than 90 seconds. That is the single greatest performance and win of Sterling’s career in such a high stakes matchup, and he should get the next bantamweight title shot. In a just world, Sterling gets Petr Yan and Jose Aldo go fights someone else. “Funkmaster” was magnificent.
- I’m glad that Sterling took time on the mic to talk about, as he put it, “the injustices happening to minorities all across America.” This is obviously in reference to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and the subsequent protests that it’s sparked in the US and around the world. The UFC pretty much shied away from addressing what’s transpired this entire week, so it’s good to see fighters voicing their opinions as much as possible.
- Welterweight veteran Neil Magny finished strongly against Anthony Rocco Martin with a lopsided third round. It turns out that he didn’t even need to, as he got a pair of 30-27s even though it felt like the first two rounds were fairly close. For Magny, his gas tank made a major difference against Martin, who threw with more power early and paid the price. Magny has a second straight win, while Martin’s UFC career might be over given that was the end of his contract.
- Sean O’Malley is a future star. He STARCHED Eddie Wineland in under two minutes with a sensational right hand, seconds after he stunned him with a right hook from southpaw. A beautiful walkoff KO against a seasoned veteran who’s been hard to finish even in his recent losses. Bantamweight is filled with sensational fighters and O’Malley seems on track to be a major name for the UFC. I’m jumping on the hype train because he’s got such a bright future.
Preliminary Card
- Chase Hooper was game but way out of his depth against Alex Caceres. The 20-year-old featherweight prospect rarely got the opportunity to grapple with Caceres, and the striking was a total mismatch. Hooper really looked like a dude who should still be on the regional scene, and Caceres showed he’s still at least a quality gatekeeper. For once, Caceres didn’t put himself in any serious danger of throwing a fight away and he outclassed Chase all the way.
- Whoa! Did not expect Ian Heinisch to quickly dispose of Gerald Meerschaert like that. A big right hand knockdown and hard shots on the ground led to a 74-second TKO victory. And to think he was off the card briefly due to a positive COVID-19 test for one of his coaches, only to be reinstated after it was apparently a false positive. Big win for the veteran middleweight to snap a two-fight losing skid.
- Cody Stamann won a shutout decision over Brian Kelleher in a fight that was more competitive and entertaining than the scorecards suggested. All respect to Stamann for a great performance given the tragic death of his 18-year-old brother Jacob last week. He let the tears flow out at the end of the final round, and it’s a moment that will stick with me for awhile. I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s been through and the courage and strength it took to still compete and come away with an impressive victory. Condolences to him and his family, and may Jacob Stamann rest in peace.
- Maki Pitolo just bombarded Charles Byrd early in round two. Byrd’s flailing punches gave way to eating a ton of body and head strikes, a takedown, and then hammerfists to seal the deal. He looked much better at 185 lbs than he did losing to Callan Potter at 170 lbs. Byrd retired after a third straight TKO loss.
- Alex Perez tore apart Jussier Formiga on his way to a calf kick TKO finish of the veteran flyweight contender. Formiga just had no answers for Perez’s striking and his days of contention are over, whereas Perez is suddenly right in the mix after chopping down Jussier in a dominant performance.
- It’s not often that unranked light heavyweights produce fun 15-minute battles, but Devin Clark and Alonzo Menifield did just that. Clark’s left eye was busted up in the opening round and it looked like he’d have a rough night at the office. The South Dakotan did a terrific job fighting back, dragging Menifield into dig fight and tiring him out to get a deserved decision win in a grueling battle. Menifield was used to winning early and when that didn’t materialize, he showed his inexperience and a questionable gas tank and took the L as a result.
- Evan Dunham’s return from retirement lasted all of 80 seconds, as Herbert Burns choked him out to make it a great one-week span for the Burns brothers. You don’t want to grapple with either Gilbert or Herbert… just thinking about it makes me want to tap out.