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UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev v Walker 2 — Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., Jan. 13, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 84. The first event of the new year came in with more of a whimper than a bang, as it was largely standard Apex fare, featuring the usual mix of veterans, Contenders Series newcomers, and just two ranked contenders after Manel Kape’s disastrous weigh-in. That said, the fights were fun, and the UFC drought was finally broken, so it could be a whole lot worse!

Let’s take a look at UFC Vegas 84’s best performances and techniques:

Ankalaev Gets The Job Done

Magomed Ankalaev is known for being extremely gifted and having strange issues in fights. A targeted future champion since the inception of his UFC career, Ankalaev has also been forced into unnecessary rematches, handed over a winnable fight to Jan Blachowicz, and been submitted by Paul Craig.

There’s always the chance something odd happens when he fights. Given that’s also true about Johnny Walker, that chance was doubled!

Fortunately for the Russian, it all went according to plan. Walker went bonkers in the first three minutes, throwing about a dozen spinning strikes and trying to take Ankalaev’s head off in the strangest manner possible. So many axe kicks …

Yet, Ankalaev didn’t allow himself to be distracted. He checked more low kicks than normal. He also kicked Walker back in the lead leg, harder than Walker himself managed — a great answer for a historic flaw. As soon as Walker settled down, Ankalaev upped his pressure, rendered Walker defensive, and knocked him out.

It’s the exact type of clean, clear-cut victory Ankalaev needed to get back in the title mix at 205 lbs.

Miller Keeps On Truckin’

Jim Miller got into a scrap and came out victorious once again.

Every part of the veteran’s game was on display against Gabriel Benitez. He stood comfortable in the pocket and traded blows, always answering in combination and mixing body shots into his attack. When Benitez tried to kick his lead leg, Miller kicked his opponent’s leg harder. Miller managed to change the flow of the fight from competitive to dominant with a pair of well-timed takedowns.

As soon as he gained top position, Miller was landing heavy ground strikes and advancing towards the back mount. His rear naked choke finish came in the third as much due to attrition as anything else, because Miller beat Benitez down for most of 15 minutes first.

What other 40 year olds are winning wars of attrition?

The Best Fight Of The Evening

Ricky Simon vs. Mario Bautista was a whole lot of fun. Simon proved his toughness once again and certainly landed some good shots across 15 minutes, but I have to admit, it was also a Bautista showcase victory. We’ll only be referring to Bautista as an unranked Bantamweight for a couple more days!

Bautista’s kickboxing was really on display. He feinted and shifted stances while pressuring, forcing Simon — the shorter man — into a reactive position. Initially, Simon found a bit of success with his wrestling, but Bautista soon picked up his timing and shut that down. Then, the kickboxing opened up, and Bautista did massive damage with the Southpaw liver kick and some sneaky knees up the middle.

Bautista’s volume was also a major element to his success. He built smart combinations and stayed on Simon, breaking down a cardio machine by hitting him repeatedly to all targets. The victory brings Simon’s win streak to six, and his callout of Rob Font was a wise one.

The Hulk Rebounds

Brunno Ferreira really impressed against Phil Hawes to return to the win column after his first professional loss.

On its own, that’s not a shocking outcome. Ferreira is a really aggressive puncher, and Hawes isn’t known for his durability. What was surprising, however, was that Ferreira fairly consistently landed the better shots en route to the finish, and he also outwrestled the decorated wrestler!

Ferreira’s first defeat clearly invoked some changes in his training and strategy. He was less absurdly aggressive on the feet — though still very active! — and was clearly more interested in relying on his Judo background. Subsequently, he was able to make a good read on Hawes’ head movement, which is how he connected on the jump knee that began the finishing sequence.

A great and brutal rebound performance for “The Hulk.”

Yet Another Bantamweight To Watch

Marcus McGhee picked up his third straight UFC win — all via stoppage — over Gaston Bolanos in very impressive fashion. I understand that there’s a seemingly endless amount of unranked Bantamweight talent, but it might be time to give the 33 year old a push up the ladder while he’s at his peak.

Bolanos is a longtime professional kickboxer, whereas McGhee is a knockout artist who can wrestle well too. Had McGhee outwrestled Bolanos, it would’ve been a good win but not a head-turner. Instead, “The Maniac” scored a couple takedowns, but mostly he cracked the sharp kickboxer with repeated right hands! When he finally dropped him in the second, McGhee followed up with accurate and powerful connections, including a spinning kick.

McGhee has stopped all nine of his opponents. He’s a training partner of Sean O’Malley. The man is skilled, and I’m excited to watch him fight up the ranks.

Additional Thoughts

Jean Silva defeats Weston Wilson via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Yeah, this was a mismatch. Wilson is fairly known to be less-than-UFC caliber, and Silva wasted no time in taking advantage. He got inside the taller man’s reach almost immediately, teeing off en route to the stoppage.
Nikolas Motta defeats Tom Nolan via first-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): This one only lasted about a minute! Motta entered having suffered some tough losses recently, whereas Nolan was riding a wave of momentum into his UFC debut … didn’t matter! Motta stood his ground and fired hard from the first bell, and he connected first to send his foe to the floor and return to the win column in style.
Joshua Van defeats Felipe Brunes via second-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Van is one of the better unranked Flyweight prospects on the roster, and he picked up his third Octagon victory in impressive fashion. Early on, however, it was Brunes who set the tone with sharp kickboxing and some effective wrestling. Van’s great strength is his volume and body work, and that combination proved fruitful in breaking Brunes’ momentum and turning the tide. Before long, Brunes hit the floor, and heavy ground strikes sealed the deal.

For complete UFC Vegas 84: “Walker vs. Ankalaev 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!