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Demian Maia proved to be the superior MMA fighter over Ben Askren.
Pre-fight, when Demian Maia was asked why he’d win this match up against a fellow top grappler in Ben Askren, his answer was simple. He said it was because he was the better MMA fighter. On the UFC Singapore main event, that was pretty evident.
Askren and Maia mostly engaged in a kickboxing match early on, where the Brazilian proved to be much better in. The former BJJ world champion fended off the wrestler in the clinch, and landed the more significant strikes on the feet. Askren got a few takedowns and did have his moments, but that’s where Maia’s grappling shined as well.
The fight ending sequence specifically, was just a thing of beauty. Askren scored a takedown, but Maia got a gorgeous sweep, transitioned to mount, got his back and then put him out cold with a choke.
Maia is still submitting people just days before his 42nd birthday. Askren on the other hand, has been put out cold in two — or possibly even three — straight UFC bouts now.
I don’t know. It seems like trading away one of MMA’s all time greats just isn’t working out very well for the UFC lately.
- There’s been weird scores during this event, and the co-main event was no exception. A draw is fine, but 29-28 twice for Stevie Ray was pretty questionable I think. Either way, Michael Johnson once again started strong and looked sharp on the feet, before another pretty significant collapse late in the fight. I’m not sure if that’s a mental issue, but Johnson looked to be on his way to a really impressive performance, before he seemingly froze after getting taken down and got busted up.
- Ciryl Gane further solidified his top heavyweight prospect status. He was already winning significantly on the feet — Don’tale Mayes was actually saved by the bell in the first round — but that submission at the end? Yeesh. That surprise heel hook at the final seconds was just the perfect cherry on top of an already impressive performance. The 28-year-old improved to 2-0 in the UFC, with the slick striker managing to win both by nifty submissions.
- Beneil Darish looked incredibly sharp both on the feet and on the ground. He landed really nice, crisp shots on the feet, before getting a takedown and a quick submission finish over Frank Camacho. Impressive stuff for the veteran.
- The King of Kung Fu, Muslim Salikhov put on a dominant performance to kick off the UFC Singapore main card. The Wushu champion threw spinning strike after spinning strike to win his second fight in as many months. Interestingly enough, he then called out Li Jingliang in a bout that could definitely interest Chinese fight fans.
- Loma Lookboonme put on a Muay Thai clinic against Aleksandra Albu and became the first ever fighter from Thailand to fight — and win — in the UFC. With her extensive Muay Thai background, she looked to be levels better on the clinch, landing lots of nice knees, elbows and dumps throughout the contest. It will be interesting to see how her overall MMA game develops moving forward.
- Rafael Fiziev also impressed in the prelims. Much like Lookboonme, the Thailand-based Fiziev put on a striking clinic in his bout against Alex White.
- Sergei Pavlovich got another quick finish, scoring a TKO over Maurice Green in the prelims. He’s now 2-1 in the UFC, with his only loss to Alistair Overeem.