UFC 255 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 21, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Flyweight title fight that saw division champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, defeat Alex Perez via first round submission (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, women’s 125-pound champion, Valentina Shevchenko, defeated Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision to retain here title (video highlights).
Biggest Winner: Deiveson Figueiredo
Alex Perez came out like a bolt of lightning ready to fight, but Figueiredo’s experience proved superior as “Daico” turned an early takedown attempt into a nice submission win via guillotine early in round one. It really was smooth as silk. With his first title defense in his back pocket, Figueiredo can set his eyes on his next challenge, which will likely be Brandon Moreno” after “Assassin Baby” scored himself a first round knockout win over Brandon Royval. After his win, Figueiredo called for the Moreno fight, and I’m here for it, as Moreno has the chops to give “Daico” some trouble. Figueiredo is going to be a handful for all upcoming challengers and if he goes on a nice run, don’t be too surprised if he lures Henry Cejudo back to the cage.
Runner Up: Valentina Shevchenko
Shevchenko held on to her 125 pound title after defeating a vey game foe in Jennifer Maia. The win gives “Bullet” five strait title defenses. It also proves that once things get tough, Shevchenko can adjust, weather the storm nd make the changes necessary to earn win. While “Bullet” is used to finishes, the five-round win showed everyone that Shevchenko is no stranger to pulling through in tough situations and is ready to endure a tough 25-minute fight to retain her title.
Biggest Loser: Mike Perry
After failing to make weight by five pounds — and not giving two flips about it — Perry ended up losing to Tim Means in what proved to be an absolute slugfest which left his face looking worse for wear. For those keeping count at home, that is now six losses in his last nine fights, losing three of his last four. That’s an atrocious record to say the least, one which would get most people cut from the promotion. Look, I get it, Perry brings it come fight night and there is no denying that. But it really rubbed me the wrong way that he was pretty much care free about missing weight, especially when he posted videos of himself eating junk food so close to the fight. Dana White and Co. have cut fighters for less, so why Perry seemed to care less about it kind of puzzled me. He also hasn’t been winning on a consistent bases during his UFC stint, earning a 7-7 record over the last four years. And let’s not forget all of his out-of-the age troubles. Now it remains to be seen what the promotion does with him moving forward.
For complete UFC 255 result and coverage click here.