Everything That Happened At UFC Vegas 70 Last Night! | UFC Betting Sites

UFC Fight Night: Muniz v Allen — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., Feb. 25, 2023), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remained inside Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 70. With a single week remaining until the return of Jon Jones at UFC 285, there were worse ways to kill time than this event. Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann nearly guaranteed a finish in the main event … at least until the fight was canceled just as the main card started (full details here). Instead, the Middleweights took the spotlight, as Brendan Allen vs. Andrez Muniz was elevated to the main event slot.

Let’s take a look at UFC Vegas 70’s best performances and techniques:

Allen Upsets Muniz

Andre Muniz got a bit of a raw deal here.

The Brazilian entered this fight undefeated (5-0) inside UFC. He broke Ronaldo Souza’s arm, climbed into the rankings, and has generally done really good work inside the Octagon. However, despite his win streak, he was matched against Allen, a very experienced and tough unranked Middleweight.

It makes a lot of sense that Allen turned out to be a trap fight for Muniz. Typically, Allen has only really struggled with high-level strikers. He’s a potent offensive kickboxer, but his defense remains iffy, which has allowed men like Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis to crack his jaw. Muniz found those same counters, but he’s not quite the hitter those men are, so Allen was able to walk through them.

Meanwhile, Allen is also a really excellent grappler. Muniz couldn’t deploy his default strategy of submission fighting, and when he tried while getting hit, he wound up reversed. Really, Allen’s kickboxing edge allowed him to dictate the wrestling exchanges to the point that Muniz never gained top position. Instead, it was Allen starting in good positions, which eventually resulted in being able to lock up a rear naked choke in the third.

Full credit to Brendan Allen: I’ve been a fan for a while, and he’s coming into his own even if those defensive issues still linger. But, this main event is also a good reminder that if a streaking fighter doesn’t get rewarded for their success, their win streak will probably implode eventually.

Don’t Call It A Comeback …

Suarez won The Ultimate Fighter seven years ago at 25 years of age in her fourth professional fight. Two years later, she demolished a former champion in Carla Esparza, utterly dominating her opponent to gain a top position in the rankings. Her rise to the belt seemed imminent, especially when a stylistically favorable match up in Rose Namajunas held the title.

Instead, she fought just once more in 2019, seemingly securing a title shot in the process. Instead, injury after injury piled up, extending her layoff. As the years ticked away, Suarez’s status as a surefire future champion slowly deteriorated.

At 32 years of age, Suarez finally made the walk once more last night, taking on a tough challenge up a weight class. Credentials aside, this was no easy match up. Montana De La Rosa is a talented wrestler, skilled grappler, and experienced at 125-pounds. She made it real difficult for Suarez to get her down and control her, testing her more than anyone really did at 115 pounds.

What percentage of that is due to weight class and ring rust? We won’t know until Suarez returns to Strawweight and fights again. Until then, it’s simply incredible that she managed to make it back to the cage and win given all the circumstances.

It’s good to have her back.

O Canada!

When is the last time two Canadians picked up wins in one night inside the Octagon? It sure feels like its been a while, and on the whole, we’re certainly a long way removed from when Georges St. Pierre ruled the Welterweight division with an iron fist. Put simply, Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) is having a rough go over the last few years.

Mike Malott thrived last night against Yohan Lainesse. He was picking apart the big hitter, utilizing distance management to really diffuse his big swings and land punishing kicks. His left shin was hitting the liver with an uncomfortable frequency, and when Lainesse grew more aggressive, Malott promptly dumped him to the floor. Moments later, he locked in an arm triangle choke, securing a first-round finish without really getting touched in the process.

He improves to 2-0 inside UFC.

In addition, Jasmine Jasudavicius returned to the win column by outwrestling Gabriella Fernandes. In a clear striker vs. grappler match up, Jasudavicius did nice work in forcing the clinch and chaining takedowns. Once in top position, she didn’t rest, advancing passed the guard and nearly finishing from the crucifix in the second round.

The Sinking Floor

I try not to be overly negative or actively degrade fighters, but Trevor Peek vs. Erick Gonzalez felt like a new low point.

It was fun, to be sure. Peek has real athleticism and grit, traits which have always carried fighters as far as technical skill. Still, he was just horribly rough around around the edges, making technical mistake after technical mistake. Gonzalez, meanwhile, was completely unable to capitalize. He’d score an effortless takedown because Peek was wildly out of position, then do zero with it as Peek just powered his way up like a miniature Derrick Lewis.

Peek basically finished the fight via standing hammer fist. Whether that’s awesome or awful is very much up for debate. Remember when UFC level actually meant something? It’s been a declining level for years, but COVID-19 introduced the current UFC Apex era, which has absolutely demolished the notion.

Additional Thoughts

Jordan Leavitt defeats Victor Martinez via first-round knockout: This fight started like any other Leavitt performance: funky range kicks and wrestling. Martinez was doing a decent job of stopping the shot, but Leavitt showed a new wrinkle to his offense. His clinch striking was really improved, and he used a clean elbow connection to start hammering away with knees. Martinez folded, resulting in a surprising knockout win for the submission fighter.

Joe Solecki defeats Carl Deaton via second round rear-naked choke (HIGHLIGHTS): Joe Solecki pretty masterfully implemented his jiu-jitsu expertise to score a flawless win against a short-notice opponent. In the first round, Solecki chain-wrestled his way to a standing back take, nearly securing the choke in the opening five minutes. Deaton fought hands well, however, though it was ultimately to no avail. A well-timed double leg sat Deaton back down early in the second, resulting in another back take soon afterward. This time, there would be no escape, as Solecki put his opponent to sleep in the closing seconds of the round.

For complete UFC Vegas 70: “Krylov vs. Spann” results and play-by-play, click HERE.