We had a long wait between UFC events. Three days, to be exact.
After what was, by any measure, a truly monumental event in UFC 189 on Saturday, as well as a pretty decent layer of icing in Sunday’s The Ultimate Fighter 21 finale, we had UFC Fight Night 71, going down on Wednesday night from San Diego, California.
With so much MMA action in recent days (and another UFC card, plus a Bellator card on Friday), why spend a midsummer evening on a middling midweek fight card?
I understand the concern, but I must beg to differ. In the main event, heavyweight power striker Todd Duffee tried to finally convert his potential to kinetic energy against aging two-time UFC champion Frank Mir.
Also on the main card, well-hyped women’s boxing champ Holly Holm fought for the second time in the UFC, taking on relatively unheralded but dangerous challenger in Marion Reneau.
Not enough to wet your whistle? Got other plans in mid-July? So be it. That’s why we’re here, and as always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 71.
In the spirit of thoroughness, full results appear on the final slide.