UFC Long Island went down last night (Sat., July 16, 2022) from inside UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in what truly was an action-packed event that delivered eight stoppages. Unfortunately, the main event ended in devastating fashion for Brian Ortega, who separated his shoulder in the first round, resulting in a technical knockout win for Yair Rodriguez (highlights). In the co-main event, Amanda Lemos submitted Michelle Waterson in the second round with a guillotine choke (see it again here).
Biggest Winner: Ricky Simon
Everyone was touting Jack Shore as the next big thing in the Bantamweight division, a future title contender and a man who had the chance to actually win the strap in a few years. While that may still be the case eventually, Ricky Simon stopped the former Cage Warriors’ champion’s momentum by handing him his first-ever defeat in stunning fashion, submitting him in the second round with an air-stealing anaconda choke. Simon himself was also on a roll having won four straight in an absolutely stacked division coming into the event, but now that he is the owner of five straight wins, Simon can expect a bump in the rankings to go along with his $50,000 post-fight bonus award.
Runner Up: Matt Schnell
Schnell got back on the winning track in a big way by pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in recent memory in a “Fight of the Night”-winning bout against Su Mudaerji. After getting clipped repeatedly early on with several shots, including nasty elbows, Schnell started to find his groove after getting out of trouble multiple times. Schnell turned the tide in round two by delivering some crushing blows of his own when it seemed he was on his way out. After mounting his foe and delivering several shots to his face, Schnell eventually managed to transition into a triangle choke, forcing the tap and completing the insane comeback.
The second stanza is a clear-cut contender for 2022 “Round of the Year:”
Matt Schnell vs. Sumudaerji – Round 2 pic.twitter.com/VMiz2KgutF
— Neo Vale Tudo (@NeoValeTudo) July 17, 2022
Biggest Loser: Michelle Waterson
After a great run in 2018 that almost saw Waterson earn her first-ever shot at a UFC title, “Karate Hottie” has hit a bit of a rough patch. Joanna Jedrzejczyk stopped her in her tracks in 2019, ending her three-fight win streak and crushing her championship dreams. She then went on to lose to Carla Esparza before bouncing back with a split decision win over Angela Hill. But, after losing to Marina Rodriguez after that, she suffered another crushing defeat at the hands of Amanda Lemos last night after she was forced to tap to a guillotine choke. All told, Waterson is just 1-4 over her last five fights, which will likely boot her from the Top 10. On the heels of her latest defeat, Waterson will have to go back to the drawing board to ponder her future, which could result in another potential change in divisions … or retirement?
For complete UFC Long Island results and coverage click here.