Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back at it again yesterday (Sat., Nov. 12, 2016) with a double-header, as the fight promotion presented UFC Fight Night 99 and UFC Fight Night 100 in Belfast, northern Ireland, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, respectively. UFC Fight Night 99 featured a rematch that saw Gegard Mousasi get revenge on Uriah Hall (recap), while UFC Fight Night 100 saw Ryan Bader go two-for-two against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the headlining act.
And much, much more.
Biggest winner: Ryan Bader
Going into his rematch against “Lil Nog” at UFC Fight Night 100, Bader was fulfilling the final fight on his current UFC contract, opting not to sign an extension with the promotion in an effort to gain some leverage at the negotiation table with a win. Thankfully for “Darth,” his third round technical knockout victory (TKO) gave him just that (replay here), as he and his management team have major leverage as they re-enter contract talks with the WME-IMG-owned promotion. Couple that with his previous knockout win over Ilir Latifi, and Bader should be feeling pretty good right about now.
Runner up: Gegard Mousasi
For his sake, I really wish Gegard would stop saying before each fight that a win doesn’t get him any closer to a shot at he middleweight title. He made that very statement prior to knocking out Vitor Belfort, and he echoed it prior to his win against Hall at UFC Fight Night 99. Both times “The Dreamcatcher” proved victorious and helped him score his third and fourth consecutive victory. And whether he chooses to believe it or not, that will get him far in the rankings and the title hunt.
Runner up:Thomas Almeida
After Almeida has his momentum stopped by Cody Garbrandt earlier this year, the young Brazilian had plenty of pressure not to drop his second straight inside the Octagon in front of his homeland fans. Not only did he thrive under said pressure, but he did it impressively, knocking out Albert Morales in the second round to get him back on the winning track (highlights). Expect bigger and better matchups for Thomas, as he looks to regain the steam that made him one of the most exciting, up-and-coming prospects in all of MMA.
Biggest Loser: Uriah Hall
Since scoring a huge upset win over Gegard Mousasi back in2015, “Primetime” has dropped three in a row, while Mousasi has gone on two win four in a row, including his revenge fight against Hall. The losing streak comes at a pivotal point for UFC, as the transition of power following the $4 billion sale has proven to be a “take-no-prisoners” approach for WME-IMG, as they not only have they thinned the herd in the front offices, but to the roster, as well. I don’t envy Hall at the moment or wish for him to be axed, but it can’t be an easy feeling knowing that anytime you get a phone call or an email fro UFC could mean bad news for his time with the promotion. It will be an anxiety-filled couple of weeks for Hall.
For complete UFC Fight Night 99 and 100 results and coverage click here and here