Get the thoughts and musings of Dayne Fox for UFC 219, from Tim Elliott’s emotional win to open the evening to Crs Cyborg’s dominant five-round decision win over Holly Holm.
UFC 219 ended up being a letdown. It appeared to have so much promise only to slowly crumble. First we lost former champion Dominick Cruz’s return to the ring after a year away in a highly anticipated contest with Jimmie Rivera due to Cruz suffering a broken arm. Then we lost Rivera and his replacement John Lineker when Lineker required emergency dental surgery. And remember when the UFC told everyone Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm was supposed to be the co-main event? Instead what we go was a decision-heavy event without a single KO/TKO. Yes, Cyborg reiterated her dominance with the win over Holm and it wasn’t necessarily a bad fight. But in an evening where there was decision after decision, the main event needed a finish to break the fans out of their doldrums.
Here are my thoughts on UFC 219, with every fight and fighter involved broken down. The format is simple. The first bullet covers what was expected to happen and an attempt at a brief summary of what did happen. The next two bullets cover my thoughts on each fighter, how they did, and where they might be headed from here with the winner being covered first.
Tim Elliott defeated Mark de la Rosa via submission at 1:41 of RD2
- Expectations/Result: Even though the contest was to be held at bantamweight – a weight class Elliott had yet to fight at in the UFC – Elliott was still the favorite as de la Rosa took the contest on less than two weeks notice. He certainly needed a lot more time to prepare as Elliott put on a grappling and scrambling clinic. De la Rosa had moments where he threatened with armbars, but no serious offense otherwise. Elliott eventually caught him in an anaconda choke, dedicating the victory to his fallen coach, Robert Follis.
- Elliott: Probably the best performance of his UFC career, I’m expecting Elliott to make the move to bantamweight permanent. He has always pushed a ridiculous pace, but did so without a hint of slowing down. He didn’t look small either, though it should be noted de la Rosa is a small 135er. Elliott won’t be able to overpower some of his opponents if he stays at bantamweight as he has in the past, but I think his increased energy level and cleaner technique will more than compensate for that.
- De la Rosa: Hard to find much positive out of this performance from de la Rosa. Elliott never gave him a chance to get his volume boxing game going. De la Rosa displayed some submission ability off his back, but was on the wrong end of every scrambling situation. Given he doesn’t appear to be anything special athletically, I fear he could end up washing out, especially if he remains at bantamweight. I think he could find success if he drops to flyweight, but it’s hardly a guarantee.
Matheus Nicolau defeated Louis Smolka via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: Even though Smolka entered the contest with three-losses in a row, I picked him as I expected his activity level to far exceed that of Nicolau. After Smolka looked to push the pace early, Nicolau got his timing and rhythm down in a hurry to become the aggressor. Knocking Smolka down three times in the first round had Smolka respecting his power for the rest of the fight. Smolka never quit trying, but Nicolau secured some well-timed takedowns over the final two rounds to limit the Smolka’s chances. Not that Nicolau wasn’t winning on the feet anyway….
- Nicolau: There was a bit of a flukish feel to Nicolau’s victory over John Moraga last year given Moraga has looked flat in that contest. Any doubt about how legit that victory has now been erased. Smolka isn’t a weak opponent and this contest wasn’t close in any way, shape, or form. Nicolau’s timing was impeccable, landing left and rights with aplomb to send Smolka to the ground on multiple occasions. He also displayed some improved wrestling, though many will also point out that Smolka’s takedown defense is shoddy as it is. Regardless, Nicolau’s dominance established him as an up-and-comer in a division desperate for new contenders.
- Smolka: It’s rare that a fighter’s fortunes turn so quickly. Prior to these four consecutive losses, Smolka had won four consecutive contests. The best way to sum it up: Smolka isn’t as bad as his four-fight losing streak. His 5-5 UFC record is far more accurate to his capabilities. To be fair, Smolka never completely gave up, attacking Nicolau’s body and keeping his right hand up after the first round to avoid Nicolau’s hard left hand continuing to connect. The problem is Nicolau adjusted in kind. Smolka is still a quality fighter… he’s simply dependent upon the quality of the matchup. I have no clue if the UFC will release him, but they have all the justification in the world if they want to.
Omari Akhmedov fought Marvin Vettori via majority draw
- Expectations/Result: Given the confidence and tools given to him in his striking from Kings MMA, Vettori was expected to pick up a W over his more experienced opponent. He looked good for the first couple of minutes before Akhmedov landed some hard hooks that had Vettori fighting more tentatively. Though Akhmedov began slowing down in the second round, he didn’t completely tire until the final frame, allowing Vettori to storm back with a dominant third round. It was enough for Vettori to secure a 10-8 round from two judges, saving him from a loss even if he didn’t get the win.
- Akhmedov: Where did Akhmedov find his chin? Akhmedov’s last two losses came via KO and yet he endured several vicious punches from Vettori without going down. Then again, Akhmedov returned to 185, no longer dehydrating himself to get to 170. If fighting at middleweight means his chin returns, then it’s a good move for him. Otherwise, Akhmedov didn’t show anything new in this performance besides slightly better timing on his hooks once he found his range. As he tired, there wasn’t a whole lot of craft as he brawled with the younger Vettori. Akhmedov isn’t anything more than a gatekeeper, but he is better off at middleweight.
- Vettori: Though I believe Vettori has to be disappointed in the draw – he was favored pretty heavily to win – it wasn’t all bad for the Italian. His triangle attempt in the second round was impressive and he looked sharp early on. However, after eating some hard punches early, he abandoned his early offense and lost some confidence… or at the very least appeared to lose confidence. I get it. Nobody wants to eat the type of shots Akhmedov was dealing out. But it cost him two rounds. Even if it didn’t hurt him as bad as it appeared, his body language was still really bad which is enough to get the judges to score in favor of the other guy. Vettori is still young. He’ll probably figure these things out sooner rather than later.
Myles Jury defeated Rick Glenn via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: Typically, Glenn is a high volume puncher who doesn’t stop coming forward. To his credit, Glenn kept coming forward; he simply didn’t throw or land very many punches. Jury seemed to have an answer for every punch Glenn through, showing impeccable timing on his counter punches. Jury mixed in a few takedowns over the final half of the contest, solidifying his victory by limiting Glenn’s opportunities to score any significant offense.
- Jury: No one will claim that was an entertaining contest. However, nobody will deny that Jury’s performance wasn’t impressive as hell. He refused to let Glenn drag him into a firefight, scoring with a lot of hook and straight counters. His use of body kicks was efficient as hell too. There wasn’t anything Jury did that can be criticized for extensively. It’s safe to say the drop to 145 agrees with Jury at this point. Now it’s about time he gets matched up with a ranked opponent.
- Glenn: The most disappointing aspect of this contest is discovering it’s possible for Glenn to be in a boring contest. He couldn’t get anything going. Even when he tried mixing things up by pressing Jury against the fence, Jury countered by taking him to the ground. Not that many expected Glenn to find success wrestling against Jury…. Glenn has proven he can be exciting as hell if given the right matchups. Here’s hoping the matchmakers do their jobs right.
Michel Oleksiejczuk defeated Khalil Rountree via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: Given the violent finishes he secured in his last two contests, Rountree had a lot of momentum in his corner. Especially if anyone had seen the beatings Oleksiejczuk took on the regional scene before making his comeback. The contest started exactly the way everyone thought they would; Rountree putting a beating on his young Polish opponent. When Rountree didn’t get the finish in the first three minutes, everything turned on him as he gassed, leaving Oleksiejczuk free to pick apart his exhausted opposition. Rountree landed with the occasional hard shot from there, but his infrequent attack left much to be desired compared to Oleksiejczuk’s steady offense and occasional takedown.
- Oleksiejczuk: Oleksiejczuk demonstrated a lot of toughness. He ate some heavy artillery from Rountree early, but he didn’t go anywhere. He stayed up in Rountree’s face which allowed him to capitalize as soon as the dangerous striker began gassing. Showing intelligence that belies his youth, Oleksiejczuk expedited the process by attacking Rountree’s body with punches and knees. However, there is still much to be concerned about as Oleksiejczuk couldn’t secure the finish over a beaten opponent and he’s extremely small for a light heavyweight. I like his potential more than I did entering the contest, but I still need to see more.
- Rountree: There is a lot to pick apart with Rountree’s performance. Riding on the confidence of two early stoppages, Rountree got it in his head he can finish anyone and doesn’t seem to have the concept of winning a decision in his head. Even if Rountree found a way to more efficiently conserve energy, it appears unlikely that he’d been able to finish the fight with decent energy. In other words, his conditioning leaves a lot to be desired outside of his insane strategy to go for the kill at every opportunity. Rountree could still turn into something special, but that’s not going to happen for a while… provided that it does happen.
Neil Magny defeated Carlos Condit via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: A longtime fan favorite due to his violent tendencies, Condit was a heavy favorite following a long layoff despite many wondering if he still had the fire within him. It didn’t look like he did. Magny mixed in some distance striking with smothering Condit against the fence and securing takedowns. Condit mixed in a few flurries that he landed some good offense, but couldn’t get anything going for an extended period of time. Though it was disheartening for bloodthirsty fans, Magny picked up the biggest win of his career.
- Magny: Magny isn’t going to get the credit he deserves for his performance. True, Condit looked flat. However, Magny executed a brilliant strategy to ensure Condit never got rolling. Either all the way in or all the way out, Magny recognized Condit was only going to find success if the fight stayed in the pocket. Thus, the fight rarely took place from that distance. Magny’s offensive wrestling has been some of the most underrated in the division for quite a while. His distance management however looked much better, showing he’s still improving. I doubt anyone believes he’ll be fighting for the title someday, but Magny is still a relevant piece of the welterweight puzzle who continues to surprise.
- Condit: I know many people are clamoring for Condit to rematch Robbie Lawler, but I’d rather just see him hang up his gloves. He doesn’t have the same fire that burned inside of him that made him the whirling dervish of violence we all knew and loved for so long. Yes, there were flashes of it as he put together a few kick-punch combinations here and there, but they were few and far between. I’m sure he’ll give it one more go, attributing his poor performance to ring rust, but MMA isn’t a sport where you find success if your head or heart is only halfway into it. Given Condit’s dalliance with calling it a career, I’d say it’s more likely the fire no longer burns.
Carla Esparza defeated Cynthia Calvillo via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: Even though the UFC has a bad habit of giving pushes to the wrong fighters – aka Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt – Calvillo looked as though the UFC could be onto something after her first three appearances. Thus, most were picking the Team Alpha Male product to topple the inaugural champion of the strawweight division, Esparza. Calvillo looked good in the opening frame, scoring a takedown, escaping an armbar, and landing some solid ground-and-pound. Esparza began to find her groove in the second, mixing in low kicks, jabs, and takedown attempts to keep Calvillo guessing. It was enough to secure the decision as Calvillo’s activity didn’t have a lot of substance behind it.
- Esparza: I had stated prior to the fight that Esparza had lost all confidence on the feet following her loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk. It looks like she found it again. The funny thing about it is Esparza didn’t do anything fancy or complicated outside of a Superman punch in the final frame. It was basic combinations, jabs, and low kicks. It helped open up her takedowns too, even if she couldn’t keep Calvillo down. The win doesn’t launch Esparza back into title contention, but it’s likely she gets one of the more notable names in the division next.
- Calvillo: Given she’s from Team Alpha Male, Calvillo has a better jab than I ever would have guessed. However, she still doesn’t use the jab enough. She landed plenty of hard punches on Esparza which is what led to her thinking she deserved the decision. All she needed in the second round was for a few more punches to land. More than the jab, Calvillo needs to start throwing some low kicks. FightMetric record zero leg strikes from her. The funny thing is she used them in her two previous contests effectively enough. Hard to say what it was. I really think she would have taken the W if she had utilized those skills. What’s fortunate is this won’t be damaging for Calvillo. It will simply give her more time to develop before she meets the divisional elite. Given her pro debut came just over 16 months ago, more time isn’t a bad thing at all.
Dan Hooker defeated Marc Diakiese via submission at 0:42 of RD3
- Expectations/Result: While Diakiese was coming off a disappointing loss to Drakkar Klose, you’d think a loss would help the physical phenom recalculate his typical strategy and come back stronger. At least that was what I thought. While Diakiese certainly took a different approach to the fight, it produced a lot of inactivity as both looked to counter, boos showering down upon both combatants in short order. After a second round spent mostly against the fence, Diakiese opted to change the tempo in the final frame, launching at Hooker for a takedown without any setup. Hooker was prepared, catching the young Brit in a guillotine choke to give the drawn out card just the second finish of the evening.
- Hooker: Anyone else notice every one of Hooker’s UFC wins have produced a finish? The tough-as-nails Kiwi constantly finds the holes in his opponent’s games and exposes them. He also appears to be a much better fit at lightweight as his energy levels are far better. Hooker is determined to prove he’s not a gatekeeper, as indicated by post-fight comments. While this win does help to dispel that notion, it doesn’t eradicate it. It isn’t like Diakiese has beaten a notable opponent. Hell, Ross Pearson and Hatsu Hioki are probably better wins for Hooker. Nonetheless, he is proving he belongs on the roster, something that wasn’t completely clear about a year ago.
- Diakiese: I’ll grant to Diakiese that he was trying to learn from his loss to Klose. He spent two rounds fighting patiently, hoping to find the right time to explode. He simply picked the wrong time to do so without developing any new tools. Diakiese needs two things: someone to teach him how to jab and someone to teach him proper positioning in clinch fighting. Given Diakiese’s freakish physical abilities, there is no good reason for Hooker to be bullying him in the clinch for the long stretches he did in the second round. He focuses too much on the finish to the extent he doesn’t have a backup plan if he is unlikely to end things before 15 minutes is up. I’d hope Diakiese is shopping around for a different training camp as his development appears to have stalled.
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Edson Barboza via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: Let’s get something straight: everyone thought Nurmagomedov was the most likely victor. Those who picked against him were tired of his long absences from the cage and acknowledging that Barboza’s ability to land a death blow out of nowhere. Barboza started out strong, peppering Nurmagomedov’s legs with kicks in hopes of slowing down the Dagestani. Then Nurmagomedov got Barboza to the ground and delivered a smash that would make the Hulk proud, brutalizing the Brazilian in a way that only he can with his ground-and-pound. Barboza’s confidence was visibly shaken after the first frame to the point he was reluctant to throw his patented kicks from there, allowing Nurmagomedov to secure his takedowns with a minor price to pay only to deliver more brutal punishment. In the end, it was one of the most vicious beatdowns seen in the sport.
- Nurmagomedov: How good was Nurmagomedov’s performance? A lot of people were forgetting about Tony Ferguson’s place as the interim champion, calling for Nurmagomedov to meet the paper champion, Conor McGregor. Perhaps a lot of that has to do with fans being sick of McGregor’s shenanigans and wanting to see his face caved-in, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves people! After all, it’s the fact McGregor’s ascension obliterated the sporting aspect of the sport that upset so many, so let’s allow the natural progression of things play out. As for Nurmagomedov’s performance, the only thing that would make it more dominant would be to erase the first two minutes – or was it 90 seconds? – as everything else was utterly dominant. Nurmagomedov possesses an unprecedented ability to break the will of his opponents. Barboza may not have quit, but he sure as hell didn’t want to risk eating any more damage than necessary after starting strong. As good as either Ferguson or McGregor are, it’s hard to pick against Nurmagomedov should they meet following this performance.
- Barboza: In an attempt to put a positive spin on this, at least no one can say Barboza is a pansy, nor can they accuse him of quitting. Yes, his will was broken, but he never tapped out when that would have been the preferred route for many. In fact, everyone will agree it would have been smarter for him to call the fight before the third round started. There isn’t a lot that can be taken from this contest aside from the fact that Barboza isn’t on the same level as the top dogs of the division. Nurmagomedov has taken down all his opponents whenever he wants, so there is no reason to decry Barboza’s defensive wrestling. He should still hover around the top 5 as an elite gatekeeper, but his chance at ever getting a title shot may have passed with this loss and his previous one to Ferguson.
Cris Cyborg defeated Holly Holm via unanimous decision
- Expectations/Result: This contest has many parallels to the Nurmagomedov-Barboza contest. Everyone thought Cyborg was going to win, but Holm’s explosiveness and likeability had many people picking the former bantamweight champion to pull off the upset. After all, Holm shocked the world once before. Unfortunately for her, Cyborg is a far more intelligent fighter than Ronda Rousey. Holm tried to pick her spots, throwing jabs and kicks at Cyborg while taking the fight against the cage at times to in hopes of tiring the Brazilian. Cyborg didn’t tire and used Holm’s strikes as an opportunity to get her timing down, cracking the former boxing champion with hard counters. Holm’s began avoiding the clinch following the second round when it became apparent Cyborg wasn’t wearing down, but wasn’t committed enough to her strikes to seriously threaten outside of a short blitz near the end of the final frame. Though it was a clear decision for Cyborg, a pair of judges inexplicably gave Cyborg a 48-47 score when it should have been a clean sweep.
- Cyborg: Even though it should have been a clean sweep on the scorecards, many are going to point out that the fight went to decision – her first since 2008 — and state that Cyborg is in decline. I would disagree with that sentiment. If anything, it makes her more imposing as she showed she is just as capable of winning a point fight as she is at tearing through her competition. She didn’t push a heavy pace, but she didn’t need to. She waited for Holm to come to her and cracked her a number of times. Why bother going for the kill against a fighter who is at their best on the counter? Cyborg fought a perfect fight. Now we’re back to the regular question of who Cyborg fights next. Unless the UFC can convince Amanda Nunes to agree to a superfight with Cyborg, Megan Anderson is the only other logical choice. Anderson is down, but fans won’t have the same interest for that as they would for Nunes.
- Holm: Holm’s strategy wasn’t bad. Nobody could definitively say how well Cyborg would respond to a five-round fight and forcing her to expend energy in the dredges of the clinch made sense. The issue was that Holm has never been comfortable leading the dance and everyone knows that now. Holm needs to find a consistent form of offense outside of countering as she hasn’t been able to do so effectively. Now 1-4 in her last five, can we please stop pushing Holm into main event slots she doesn’t belong in? I’m not saying this fight didn’t make sense. Who else was there to fight Cyborg? I’m saying let’s bring back the sporting aspect of matchmaking in terms of who has earned title shots and high-profile matchups. Yes, Holm has lost to quality opponents, but it’s clear she shouldn’t be considered elite… or headlining a PPV any time soon for that matter.
Well, those are my thoughts. Until next time….