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UFC Fight Night: Dawson v Green — Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., Oct. 7, 2023), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remained inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 80. After a rare week off, UFC returned with an interesting card filled with knockout artists. Unfortunately, one such match was canned at the last second, as Philipe Lins was unable to make the cage opposite Ion Cutelaba. Fortunately, the top fights of the card remained intact, including the pivotal Lightweight clash between Grant Dawson and Bobby Green.

Let’s take a look at UFC Vegas 80’s standout performances and techniques:

Long Live The King

I’m super happy for Bobby Green, and I think you should be too.

I root for pretty much any fighter who comes from nothing, fights nearly 50 times, and successfully carves out a living for himself in an unforgiving sport. Green has always walked his own path and fought his own way, and consequently, he’s been underrated and skilled for a really long time.

The Jorge Masvidal comparisons are too easy. Late in his 30s, a career crafty veteran who flirted with contention at one point but lost too many split decisions suddenly scores the best win of his career via quick knockout. It’s a potential recipe for a star! People already like Bobby Green, but his popularity is going to pop in the next couple days.

It doesn’t matter that Green is unlikely to ever win the UFC title. Put him in the cage with Paddy Pimblett, and that’s a BANGER that sells! Hell, put him in the cage with a genuinely elite title contender like Mateusz Gamrot, and it’s still probably a great fight, even if he’s a considerable underdog.

It is, however, a sad turn of events for Dawson. I’ve been openly critical of Dawson’s kickboxing and striking defense, but … he got knocked out by the first punch of the fight, and his seven-year unbeaten streak disappeared. There are improvements to be made, certainly, but Dawson is also a better fighter than he showed here.

Pyfer Has IT

I’m not impressed by most Contenders Series products. The majority of them come, stay for three-to-five fights, and then are back on the regional scene before their bank accounts have any additional zeroes — that’s the unfortunate reality.

Joe Pyfer is not typical.

He’s demonstrated his punching power and combination boxing skill in previous fights, already proving himself good enough to last longer than most. Those skills separate him from the Middleweight pack a bit, but alone, they don’t equal a contender. Last night’s bout against Abdul Razak Alhassan showed so much more of his game, and it was really impressive!

Pyfer can wrestle. He physically overpowered a man whose best aspects are his physical gifts, and he did it repeatedly. Defeating Gerald Meerschaert in a grappling match was a solid sign that his jiu-jitsu was quality, but actually choking an opponent unconscious in the UFC Octagon was far more definitive.

The best part? Pyfer had to work for his win. Alhassan gave him some trouble with calf kicks and had him limping. A lesser fighter would’ve fallen apart, but Pyfer threw him on his head and choked him out instead.

I’d expect him to be ranked sooner than later.

The Best Buckley Yet

Joaquin Buckley put in work at Alex Morono’s expense last night. He’s so hilariously athletic. At times, Buckley would just decide to do a double leg and clear Morono off his feet with shocking speed and power. He’s able to explode like few others, and that explosion made itself apparent in his heavy combinations.

Early on, the fight was competitive, as Morono is a skilled veteran who has been fighting very well in the last couple years. He kept Buckley honest with his counter shots. Over time, however, Buckley’s body work and continued power punches slowly broke Morono down, leaving him fairly hapless by the third.

He just looked battered, and Buckley deserves recognition for the best performance of his career, finish or not.

Dober Ain’t Done

Drew Dober is famously durable. A high-volume fighter with genuine knockout power, Dober has never been afraid to walk through fire in order to land heavy shots. Historically, that’s how he’s picked up some of his best wins, gutting out difficult situations and paying back his opponent in kind.

As such, his shocking knockout loss at the hands of Matt Frevola was a little concerning. We never know how a fighter will respond after getting stopped, let alone a 34-year-old veteran who’s not been afraid to rely on his chin.

Dober just dismissed any of those questions and concerns by steamrolling Rick Glenn. Dober walked right through Glenn’s range, into the pocket, and unloaded with fast, powerful combinations. Glenn was hurt quickly, and Dober stayed on him, never giving him an inch of space en route to the first-round knockout.

Glenn, another historically durable and scrappy veteran, has now lost two in a row via stoppage. Dober, meanwhile, sets the UFC Lightweight record for knockout wins, and he looks to have a lot left in the tank.

Pulling Bottom Position For Heel Hooks? In 2023?!?

Some things don’t get old. I can listen to The Beatles’ Rubber Soul for the 30th time or thoroughly enjoy re-runs of Seinfeld and The Office. Watching fighters risk life-and-limb in pursuit of leg locks only to get pummeled? Similarly timeless.

Mateus Mendonca had about 10 opportunities to stop hunting for the heel hook. He could have bailed off the leg and defended his face on many occasions. Instead, he doggedly hunted for the heel and kneebar, ignoring the absolute hammers Nate Maness dropped into his skull.

While it’s true that a successful heel hook overrules any amount of punches, each one of those punches makes the submission less likely! Mendonca’s eyes rolled back into his head multiple times before the finish materialized, but he just tried harder to chase the leg in response.

It wasn’t a good decision. This lesson could have been learned from any number of fighters who suffered a similar fate in the last decade, yet someone new seems to be painfully taught at least a couple times per year.

For complete UFC Vegas 80: “Dawson vs. Green” results and play-by-play, click HERE!