Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC made one last stop at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last night (Sat., July 25, 2020) for UFC on ESPN 14. With all of the promotion’s August events set in Las Vegas, last night was UFC’s last chance to squeeze in some international talent. As such, the marathon card featured 15 bouts, most notably a Middleweight clash of talented kickboxers Darren Till and Robert Whittaker.
Let’s take a closer look at the slickest techniques and best performances of the night:
A Patient War
Darren Till and Robert Whittaker are both better at countering than leading, and that’s not to say neither man can advance behind punches. In fact, Till can feint and land his left straight exceptionally well, and Whittaker has one of the most dangerous blitzes in the game.
Still, they’re better at countering than leading. At first, that fact paid off for Till. Whittaker is not naturally a patient fighter, whereas Till tends to thrive in low volume fights. As such, it was Whittaker who first led the dance — and ran into a massive counter elbow that dropped the Aussie.
When Till pushed forward in the second round, Whittaker stabbed him jabs and ripped a heavy left hook. His biggest moment of the fight came when a looping overhand sent Till tumbling, allowing Whittaker to deliver some big shots on the mat as well.
The third, fourth, and fifth rounds were close. Each man was attempting the same thing: lead just enough to stay ahead and land big counters when my opponent comes towards me. They were walking a tightrope, where too much passivity or aggression could cost either athlete the decision.
It was razor-close, but Whittaker won the battle. He threw and landed more, and did so without ever getting creamed by a major counter left. A big part of Whittaker’s success came as a result of variety, as he dug into the calf and mixed takedowns into his offense. Giving Till more to think about dulled the timing on his counters just a notch, which made all the difference late.
Respect To The Brazilian Legends
It doesn’t really matter that Mauricio Rua defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last night for the third time. “Lil Nog” may head into retirement on the heels of a defeat, but he does so having provided yet another classic scrap with a fellow legend.
In other words: PRIDE NEVER DIE!
Kazmat Chimaev Smashes
Chimaev made history last night with his second win in a second weight class with just 10 days separating the bout. It was obviously impressive work, and my full thoughts can be read HERE!
What Was Herb Dean Doing?
Francisco Trinaldo scored one of the most brutal knockouts of the year.
That’s not to say Jai Herbert made it easy. In fact, Herbet’s performance was impressive in many ways! The rangy kickboxer’s right hand struck like a piston, rocking Trinaldo on multiple occasions. Trinaldo scored some big shots and takedowns of his own, but he was far behind in terms of momentum heading into the third round.
Fortunately for “Massaranduba” fans, the veteran demonstrated his experience. He started hanging back more, trusting his powerful left kick to the thigh and mid-section to help eliminate the range disadvantage. In turn, his patience convinced Herbert to advance forward more, allowing Trinaldo to crush him with a huge left hand.
Herbert’s body stiffened immediately, and he fell straight back, smacking his head on the canvas. As Trinaldo stepped forward to finish the jab, there was no reaction. Even in the heat of battle, Trinaldo knew it, standing above his near-dead foe with his fist cocked. He didn’t fire, waiting for Herb Dean to step in.
Dean did not. He was right in position so see how far gone Herbert was, but he still forced Trinaldo to throw another few punches. It was a truly abysmal stoppage.
A Long Deserved Win
I remember Jesse Ronson’s first UFC run, which took place from 2013-2014.
The Canadian kickboxer debuted with a real gritty, back-and-forth fight opposite Michel Prazeres, the Brazilian grinder who once put together eight straight victories. Ronson lost via split-decision. “Bodysnatcher” attempted to rebound against Francisco Trinaldo, the Brazilian veteran who also fought last night, but again he came up short via split-decision. Finally, Ronson earned a third opportunity against Kevin Lee, the future title challenger.
He lost via split-decision.
Each of the three men to defeat Ronson are still on the UFC roster in 2020. They’re proven tough competitors, and Ronson showed himself on their level. Unfortunately, the judges went against him repeatedly, and Ronson was forced onto the regional scene for six years before global pandemic created this opening opposite Nicholas Dalby.
Ronson made the most of it! Despite fighting up a weight class, he did not seem bothered by Dalby’s size and aggression. Instead, he ripped a nice body kick, then landed a two punch counter to send Dalby crumbling to the mat. He quickly climbed into top position, wrapping up a rear naked choke to definitively score his first UFC win.
Dalby is likable and a similarly hard-nosed vet, but it was fantastic to see Ronson finally get his hand raised. It was a moment of justice, as lots of fighters worse than Jesse Ronson have won UFC fights, but a string of bad luck nearly cost Ronson that achievement.
Additional Thoughts
Paul Craig defeats Gadzhimurad Antigulov via first-round triangle choke: This bout was a gunfight between jiu-jitsu aces, and it was anyone’s guess which man would prove his grappling superior. Craig came out with confidence, attacking his foe with punches and convincing Antigulov to shoot. Antigulov secured his single leg takedown, but it wasn’t long before Craig threw up his trademark triangle choke. Despite his own grappling pedigree, the Russian opted to punch rather than defend, a mistake that soon forced him to tap.
- Tom Aspinall defeats Jake Collier via first-round knockout: I’ll admit that I somewhat forgot about Collier, who’s been absent from competition since 2017, but I remember his fights! A scrappy over-achiever with a nice spinning back kick, Collier is a solid test for newcomers … or at least, he was. Somehow, Collier has ballooned up to Heavyweight in his layoff, looking like a completely different person. He also didn’t look ready for Aspinall, who drilled his opponent with an intercepting knee to the belly and snapping 1-2.
- Tanner Boser defeats Raphael Pessoa via second-round knockout: Boser makes use of the tools that most Heavyweights neglect. The Canadian relies heavily on movement and low kicks, frustrating his opponents both by making them miss and digging into the thigh. The low kicks serve to slow his usually larger opponents further, at which point Boser is more willing to engage with looping swings, set up well by feints. Twice in a row now, his strategy has worked perfectly, as Boser was barely touched in either fight will still picking up knockouts!
For complete UFC on ESPN 14: “Whittaker vs. Till” results and play-by-play, click HERE!