UFC Vegas 17 went down inside UFC APEX last night (Sat., Dec. 19, 2020) in Las Vegas, Nevada in what proved to be a thrilling night of fights…as expected. Indeed, the event was filled with one intriguing matchup after another, including the headlining bout which saw Stephen Thompson defeat Geoff Neal after 25 minutes of action (see it here). In the co-headlining act, Jose Aldo snapped his three-fight losing streak by defeating Marlon Vera in a hard-fought Bantamweight affair (recap).
Biggest Winner: Stephen Thompson
“Wonderboy” was very open about the unfairness he saw in the way the promotion was hyping up Khamzat Chimaev after just three wins, saying it’s an insult to the longtime veterans who have been putting in the work for years. And while Thompson has had his share of the spotlight over the years, his performance against Neal reminded the promotion that they still have a star in him, not a gatekeeper. Thompson was on point in just about everyway, as his striking was crisp, his defense was stellar and his feet movement was unmatched. With the win over Neal, “Wonderboy” has his first win streak since 2016, if you can believe that. Still ranked at No. 5, Thompson could be in line for a huge showdown in 2021.
Runner Up: Rob Font
After a year away from action, Font returned with a vengeance by absolutely obliterating Marlon Moraes to score a first round knockout against the No. 3 ranked Bantamweight in the world. With his great display of striking, Font put the entire division on notice, and will make his future foes think twice about going toe-to-toe with him. That is now three straight wins for Font, who will likely find himself in the Top 10 come next week. Font has come up short in big opportunities against Raphael Assuncao, Pedro Munhoz and John Lineker, but the huge knockout win over Moraes could get him over the hump once and for all.
Honorable Mention: Marcin Tybura
Don’t look n ow, but we have a new contender at heavyweight as Tybura has now won four straight fights inside the Octagon, all of them in the last 10 months. His latest conquest is a knockout win over Greg Hardy, who he finished in round two via ground-and-pound. Aside from scoring the impressive win, Tybura showed that he can overcome adversity as he was being tagged by the heavy hands of Hardy early on. Once he mad the proper adjustments, Tybura was able to take Hardy down to the mat where he eventually put himself in great position to unleash some punishment on the former NFL star, who looked like a fish out of water once he had the big man on top of him. With four consecutive win under his belt, Tybura will finally crack the Top 15, setting him up for bigger and better fights moving forward.
Biggest Loser: Marlon Moraes
“Magic” asked for a quick turnaround after suffering a knockout loss at the hands Corey Sandhagen last October. That way the Brazilian bomber saw it, getting a win in to close out 2020 would be a good way to finish the year and erase the memory of that crushing defeat. Instead, the Brazilian bomber finds himself in a deeper hole after suffering a first round knockout loss to Rob Font. And it wasn’t even close, as Font absolutely dismantled the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion on the feet, clipping him at will, using his face as target practice before putting on the finishing touches in the first round. With two straight knockout losses on his record, Moraes will likely loses his No. 3 ranking and find himself looking at a tough road ahead to get back into the championship mix. Don’t get it twisted, Marlon isn’t on the chopping block, but he now goes into his next fight with an immense amount of pressure on his shoulders to avoid his first ever three-fight losing streak.
For complete UFC Vegas 17 results and coverage click here.