Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in action last night (Sat., Oct. 24, 2019) as UFC Fight Night 162 went down from inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore featuring a Welterweight matchup that saw Demian Maia submit Ben Askren in round three (highlights).
In the co-main event, Stevie Ray picked up a huge win over Michael Johnson to help him climb the Lightweight ladder (recap).
Biggest Winner: Demian Maia
In a fight that proved to be more than a grapplefest, Maia and Askren spent the majority on the fight on the feet, though the striking “war” wasn’t anything to write home about. That said, they did each pop off some shots that somehow battered and bruised the other. When the fight went to the feet, it was a joy to watch, as each men showed of why they are the best in their respective areas of expertise.
But all it took was Maia finding a little opening to sink in his ever-dangerous rear-naked choke, sleeping “Funky” in the third round. That is now three straight wins for the submission wizard, who has turned it around after dropping three straight bouts. The 170-pound division is as stacked as it gets, so Maia just made huge strides in jumping up a spot three with the win. And perhaps one more win could put him in line for a shot at the title.
Runner Up: Beneil Dariush
Beneil has always been one or two big wins away from cracking the top 15 at Lightweight, but he’s always seemed to come up short when it counts he most, losing big fights to Alexander Hernandez and Edson Barboza. But over his last three fights — all wins — Beneil has shown he can be a legit threat.
In Singapore, Dariush dominated and then submitted Frank Camacho in the very first round to score his third straight win. While it still may not be good enough to help get him into the rankings, it gets him one step closer and lines him up for a bigger fight in his next outing.
Biggest Loser: Ben Askren
Askren’s run so far inside the Octagon took another major hit after he fell victim to one of Maia’s patented submissions, bringing his record to 1-2 under the UFC umbrella, losing two via stoppage consecutively. Granted, he lost to a couple of the best 170-pound fighters on the planet in Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia, but it further shows that competition inside the Octagon just hits a bit different that other talent in other promotions.
Not to downplay the other great fighters competing under the Bellator MMA and ONE banner’s, but Askren had his way in both of those promotion’s only to suffer his first two (almost three) losses inside the eight-sided cage. Ben is still a great competitor, but where he goes from her is hard to tell, as even the bottom half of the top 15 in the loaded Welterweight division is as tough as it gets.
For complete UFC Singapore results and coverage click here.