The UFC returned after a week off with Fight Night 118 in Gdansk, Poland, on Saturday. It was the most underwhelming card in one of the most underwhelming years in UFC history on paper, but in practice, it managed to overachieve by delivering some decent MMA action.
Officially, there were 11 winners and 11 losers, but unofficially, there is a lot more to combat sports than results.
That was obvious when it came to the show’s biggest winner, Darren Till. The 24-year-old Brit was thrown into deep waters by UFC matchmakers and told to sink or swim, with fan favorite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone tasked with drowning him. It was a tall order for Till, but he was more than prepared to seize his moment, pushing the pace early and scoring a first-round knockout via punches.
The flip side to this was co-main event loser Jodie Esquibel.
Making her official UFC debut after four years in Invicta FC, Esquibel was paired off with former title contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz. It was an amazing opportunity for the 31-year-old, who had the chance to jump directly into the title hunt with a win over the local favorite. Instead, Esquibel was beaten without incident and will be forced to fight her way through the thick swamp that is the middle of the strawweight division pack.
So who else won at UFC Gdansk? And who else lost? Read on to find out.