The UFC’s first appearance in Halifax was one to remember for the fans of Atlantic Canada, as UFC Fight Night 54 provided plenty of hometown flavor and a few wild finishes.
Saturday’s co-main event pitted top-flight bantamweight contenders Raphael Assuncao and Bryan Caraway against each other, with a place at the front of the line possibly at stake.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Caraway wasn’t badly outclassed by a guy whom many have pegged to fight for the title in his next bout.
He was a big-time underdog going in, but his movement and toughness kept him in the fight from start to finish. He didn’t take a backward step for 15 minutes, and though he was a step behind by the time it was all said and done, he probably earned some credibility in the MMA community.
What We Learned About Rafael Assuncao
He’ll continue to win the fights he’s supposed to if he has to take fights that aren’t for a title.
With a win over T.J. Dillashaw already and a title fight he had to turn down due to injury, many thought he’d be on his way to a crack at gold early next year. Then Dominick Cruz came back and threw a monkey wrench into that plan, and no one can say for sure where he’s heading now.
Still, he’d be a favorite in almost any fight going forward.
What We Learned About Bryan Caraway
Not that we didn’t know it already, but Caraway is tough.
He took all manner of punishment imaginable and kept pushing forward, eating spinning kicks and leg kicks and punch combos like they were being served up at his kitchen table. It’s that toughness, coupled with his considerable grappling talent and obviously improved stand-up, that makes this loss less of a disaster and more of a minor setback.
It kind of makes one wonder if all the “Mr. Miesha Tate” jokes should be off-limits for a while.
What’s Next for Assuncao
With no other logical opponent out there for him and Cruz having stolen his title shot only a week ago, perhaps a fight with former champion Renan Barao could work.
What’s Next for Caraway
Takeya Mizugaki is the type of credible veteran who could fit for Caraway. He’s also coming off a loss and is a step down from Assuncao but still relevant enough in the division to make sense.
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