Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC
UFC made its presence known to Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil last night (Sat., March 14, 2020) for UFC Fight Night 170. With the nearly the entire sports world on hold due to global pandemic, UFC was really the only game in town, which many hoped would bring additional exposure to the sport. Unfortunately, the opening nine bouts of the night all went the distance, and some were definitely more entertaining than others.
Let’s take a closer look at the best performances and techniques of the night:
All About Offense
Charles Oliveira is a risk-taker.
Of course, one does not tie the record for most finishes in UFC history without focusing on doing damage, but Oliveira takes that mindset to a different level than most. If I’m not mistaken, he opened each of the three rounds opposite Kevin Lee with jumping kicks? Thanks to his excellent jiu-jitsu and long UFC career — and likely, many years of hard sparring at Chute Boxe Academy — Oliveira is plenty willing to throw caution to the wind.
Oliveira’s confidence was so clear last night, as he walked Lee down and slammed home hard strike after hard strike. Even when Lee landed big blows himself, Oliveira would immediately respond with a counter or chopping low kick. Similarly, when Lee powered through Oliveira to land big takedowns, “Do Bronx” instantly responded with submission attempts.
Oliveira searched for the finish from the first bell, and he eventually found it yet again.
Burns Brilliance
Gilbert Burns did an amazing job last night to knock out a very game Demian Maia.
From the opening bell, Burns performed. He attacked the lead leg with kicks, which was important given Maia’s history of struggling with low kicks. When Maia ducked into his favorite chain of takedowns, however, we witnessed the true brilliance of Burns’ grappling. As soon as Maia began to search for a hook, Burns first dove onto that leg, creating a leg entanglement rather than back take position.
That’s a much safer position for Burns, who was able to scramble back to his feet.
Maia stayed tight however, and he actually did manage to drag Burns down. Burns stripped off the hooks expertly though, forcing Maia to instead step into mount. As soon as Maia looked to mount, Burns made his move by swimming an arm beneath the legs and escaping out the back door.
Back on their feet, Maia attacked with his usual cross. Burns was prepared, blocking and firing back a heavy left hook that blasted Maia off his feet. From start to finish, Burns executed his strategy perfectly, and it all worked.
Expect Burns to break into the Welterweight Top 10 after this victory.
HOLY CRAP A FINISH
Renato Moicano strangled Damir Hadzovic in just 44 seconds last night after 135 minutes of finish-less action.
In his Lightweight debut, Moicano made it look elementary. He landed a quick counter and tripped Hadzovic to the mat with genuine ease. Half a second later, he was on the back with a rear naked choke locked in, and his first victory at 155-pounds was secured. Strangely, the most immediate consequence was a shouting match with Hadzovic, but they moved past that quickly enough.
Regardless, Moicano moves into the crowded Lightweight division in style, reminding the world of his elite jiu-jitsu skills.
Crash and Burn
Johnny Walker’s hype train is completely toast after a clear-cut loss to Nikita Krylov.
It’s possible to recover from a quick knockout loss to Corey Anderson. First and foremost, Anderson is a top 10-ranked Light Heavyweight who’s defeated former title contenders in the past. Beyond that, it ended early, largely off the strength of one clean shot. In MMA, losses like this are easily forgiven.
The situation changed last night, when Nikita Krylov pretty much manhandled the Brazilian. Krylov walked forward, avoided the biggest blows, and ducked into takedown attempts with remarkable consistency. His shots were not particularly great, but he still finished them on the strength of dogged determination more than anything else. To add insult to injury, Krylov even stunned Walker with an overhand in extremely similar fashion to how Anderson finished him.
This loss hurts, and it’s going to take some time — and some wins — for Walker to recover any past momentum.
Amanda Ribas Shines
Ribas put an absolute beating on Randa Markos last night.
Markos is no joke. She may not be an elite contender, but “Quiet Storm” has faced many of the best Strawweights in the worlds, women like Claudia Gadelha and Carla Esparza. Win or lose, Markos historically is a difficult out, which leads to many close decisions or even draws.
Not this time! Ribas out-struck Markos from the first bell, and she routinely out-grappled her opponent as well. Regardless of whether the fight was on the mat or on the feet, Ribas was focused on doing damage, chipping away at her tough opponent in pursuit of the finish. It never materialized, but it was still a hugely promising performance from the 26-year-old prospect.
For complete UFC Fight Night 170: “Lee vs. Oliveira” results and play-by-play, click HERE!