Valentina Shevchenko had a hard fought bout against UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 215 PPV (pay-per-view) event. After going 25-minutes, the judges awarded Nunes the split decision victory, which marked the second win that Nunes holds over the title contender. This did not make Shevchenko very happy […]
Valentina Shevchenko had a hard fought bout against UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 215 PPV (pay-per-view) event. After going 25-minutes, the judges awarded Nunes the split decision victory, which marked the second win that Nunes holds over the title contender.
This did not make Shevchenko very happy as she stood inside the world famous Octagon after the bout with her hands on her hips. In her post-fight interview with longtime commentator Joe Rogan, Shevchenko pulled no punches on how she felt about suffering her second loss to Nunes.
“I really don’t understand why the victory goes to the other side,” Shevchenko said (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). For two takedowns in five rounds? She didn’t hit me with one punch. Nothing significant. Look at her face. Her nose is red from my punches. Why she is still (champion), I don’t understand. Even when I was on the ground, I kicked very hard from the ground position and I really don’t understand why (Nunes won).”
“I think that she didn’t want to be in this fight. She didn’t hit this fight…not one punch. Just like these kicks, these are her kicks,” she said as she kicked the air lightly. I hit hard…I hit hard. This is the reason I hit hard,” she explained, pointing to the cut she suffered on her shin. “But this one?” she asked, again lightly kicking the air.
Shevchenko would go onto say that she didn’t agree with the judges’ scorecards. She insisted that she would win if she met Nunes for the third time. A third fight is not likely due to the fact that Nunes has won both previous bouts and because the UFC 215 PPV buy rate is not expected to do that well.
“I definitely will win this next fight. I won this fight, and I totally disagree with this decision going to the other side. I disagree.”
Shevchenko continued to sound off on the decision while speaking with reporters at the post-fight press conference. This was when she claimed that she felt she had won the first three rounds.
“My thoughts on this fight…first of all, I respect decision of judge, but I don’t agree with the decision at all,” she said. I think this fight…in three rounds this was my points…I won these three rounds. In the final fifth round, only one takedown and she didn’t do nothing, just one takedown. And for this takedown to give victory, I don’t agree with this. Even when I was on the ground I was landing more punches, and she was just holding the position, nothing more.”
“After the first round, it was pretty close. Second, third and fourth it was mine. And fifth…all the rounds it was mine. Just one takedown, I think about this, the judge gave one to the other side. Even this takedown, it was only a control position, and I was landing more punches from being on the ground.”
“I’m frustrated with the decision because I don’t agree totally. My opinion, if it will be victory, it should be victory, like, clear. In this fight, I see more tactical. You can see on her face and my face who landed more punches. I had on my shin stitches because, I don’t know, maybe her teeth. It was cut in, bleeding. I totally disagree.”
Two rematches headlined in combat sports last night; UFC 215 with Nunes-Shevchenko 2, and the Superfly card headlined by “Chocolatito” and Sor Runvisai 2. Both main events demonstrated, in different ways, the need for better judging in combat sports. The decision of a few, or even of just one person, can have a butterfly effect entirely outsized from the quality of that decision.
Nunes won her UFC rematch last night by controversial split decision. The fight was a slow-paced, technical one, with most observers giving the fight to Shevchenko after five rounds. Two out of three judges, however, saw the fight for Nunes. That one-judge margin reminds me of an argument I saw on a comment thread a long time ago that argued there should be nine judges in mixed martial arts (MMA), not three. I thought, and still think, it made sense: reduce the possibility of one person’s error by increasing the number of people making the call. It may or may not have made a difference, in this case; the fight was extremely close by all accounts. It gives a sense of caprice, though, when the stakes far outweigh the margins.
Chocolatito-Sor Rungvisai 2 is an example of the height of those stakes. The HBO commentary team in the rematch were insistent that Chocolatito had actually won the first fight fairly handily, but the judges had gifted it to Sor Rungvisai. Chocolatito was undefeated at that time, 46-0, and in the pound-for-pound discussion. In the rematch, he never got into the bout and seemed very unlike himself. Many pundits have chalked it up to age or wear; the commentary team said that getting robbed in the first fight may have tricked him into changing up an approach that had actually worked. You can see their first fight below:
If Chocolatito had won the first fight, as many thought he should have, he would never have looked like this in the rematch, because there would have been no rematch. See the full fight below:
For Shevchenko, this decision could mean a drop to flyweight, if a rematch is denied; for the division, it means waiting. Nunes says she needs to take some time to get hand surgery. For Chocolatito, though, this is likely the end of a career.
Sunday Funday
Angela Hill may not have anticipated this response from Amanda Nunes’ girlfriend Nina Ansaroff
Demetrious Johnson has evidently moved on with his life and is finding things to be disappointed about other than not getting to break the UFC title defense record.
Enjoy your Sunday, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter @Vorpality
What you may have missed from last night
Two rematches headlined in combat sports last night; UFC 215 with Nunes-Shevchenko 2, and the Superfly card headlined by “Chocolatito” and Sor Runvisai 2. Both main events demonstrated, in different ways, the need for better judging in combat sports. The decision of a few, or even of just one person, can have a butterfly effect entirely outsized from the quality of that decision.
Nunes won her UFC rematch last night by controversial split decision. The fight was a slow-paced, technical one, with most observers giving the fight to Shevchenko after five rounds. Two out of three judges, however, saw the fight for Nunes. That one-judge margin reminds me of an argument I saw on a comment thread a long time ago that argued there should be nine judges in mixed martial arts (MMA), not three. I thought, and still think, it made sense: reduce the possibility of one person’s error by increasing the number of people making the call. It may or may not have made a difference, in this case; the fight was extremely close by all accounts. It gives a sense of caprice, though, when the stakes far outweigh the margins.
Chocolatito-Sor Rungvisai 2 is an example of the height of those stakes. The HBO commentary team in the rematch were insistent that Chocolatito had actually won the first fight fairly handily, but the judges had gifted it to Sor Rungvisai. Chocolatito was undefeated at that time, 46-0, and in the pound-for-pound discussion. In the rematch, he never got into the bout and seemed very unlike himself. Many pundits have chalked it up to age or wear; the commentary team said that getting robbed in the first fight may have tricked him into changing up an approach that had actually worked. You can see their first fight below:
If Chocolatito had won the first fight, as many thought he should have, he would never have looked like this in the rematch, because there would have been no rematch. See the full fight below:
For Shevchenko, this decision could mean a drop to flyweight, if a rematch is denied; for the division, it means waiting. Nunes says she needs to take some time to get hand surgery. For Chocolatito, though, this is likely the end of a career.
Sunday Funday
Angela Hill may not have anticipated this response from Amanda Nunes’ girlfriend Nina Ansaroff
Demetrious Johnson has evidently moved on with his life and is finding things to be disappointed about other than not getting to break the UFC title defense record.
Edmonton might not have gotten what they wanted, but ended up with a decent UFC event in the end.
Western Canada seems perpetually doomed to suffer the promise of big talent and sexy cards, only to have it all fall apart despite the best intentions of all parties involved. Not only did this card lose Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg, it also lost one of (if not the) most compelling matchups in the heavyweight division in Junior dos Santos vs Francis Ngannou as well. That’s not to say this wasn’t a good card on paper, but it’s unfortunate that only the more dedicated fans were going to be happy with it. The venue reportedly sold out, but the buyrate that many people were already sour on might have taken a hit.
You can make the case that anyone that was going to buy a PPV headlined by Mighty Mouse was a dedicated enough fan that they were going to do so no matter what after the initial main event fell apart, but it suffered from lacking that “big event“ feel. It’s a tough ask for fans to pay for this event, especially in this Mayweather-McGregor hangover period. The real shame is that this could have done very well as a card on big Fox instead of PPV, and a good amount of the fighters on this card really could have benefited from the exposure. In the end, the UFC may have ended up underperforming with a card in an underserved market, but at least the fans in attendance got some good action out of it.
Winners
Amanda Nunes – Disagree with the decision all you want, this makes six in a row for Nunes and her second title defense. On paper, she’s beaten three of the absolute best talents that this weight class has produced (even if Rousey was past her prime) and defeats Shevchenko for a second time. As far as the decision goes, I see the case both for Shevchenko winning, as well as a case for a draw. I’m not mad at it, though. Despite this being a 2-0 situation, it’s not absurd to think that after such a close decision we may see them tangle yet again. I’d even be up for this being a best-of-five series, really. Maybe Raquel Pennington will get a title shot next (with Holly Holm reportedly in talks to fight Cris Cyborg at 145), but this is a division that still has Ronda Rousey ranked at #4. There’s complete disarray outside of the top five with no clear-cut contender. The rivalry isn’t dead, it’s probably more alive than ever now.
Rafael dos Anjos – That was beautiful. He may not be training with Cordeiro anymore, but dos Anjos clearly has kept a lot of the principles we see from guys that train with Kings MMA for a while. A beautiful counter low kick led to the beginning of the end, with masterful top control and the eventual submission. Rafael’s shifting and leg positioning really made the difference to get that extra bit of space closed off, and Magny looked miserable by the time he got the tap. This win should nudge him into the top ten, but not by much since most of the fighters already there have recent wins or have upcoming commitments. Considering Stephen Thompson (#2), Demian Maia (3) and Donald Cerrone (6) are all coming off losses, this should bump him up at least one or two spots. Then again, ranking methods are mostly trash. Make of it what you will.
Henry Cejudo– Cejudo’s hands looked even better this time around, and he’s a joy to watch. This was a big, big way to break out of a two-fight losing skid against Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. Ranked at #2, he may even get the next title shot if Borg (#3) falls through again or Sergio Pettis (#4) isn’t available or ready. Whether or not it’s a compelling enough matchup is another thing, and many questions would surround the possibility of him being improved enough to put up a better effort in a rematch. It’s not Henry’s fault, DJ is just that far ahead of the pack. It’s the blessing and the curse, and it casts a shadow on the rest of the division as a result.
Ilir Latifi – Blessings on blessings on blessings. Latifi countered low kicks beautifully with his hands and used his hard-nosed approach to explode into clinches and work monstrous takedowns. After almost exactly a year out of commission due to that knockout loss at the knees of Ryan Bader (hi, Ben!!), Latifi came back and outworked the younger fighter, but fought extra smart with his veteran savvy to time his attacks and avoid the big kicks. Another fighter that unfortunately is likely to make minimal progression on paper when it comes to the rankings.
Jeremy Stephens – Stephens was very effective with his low kicks, racking up a 100% success rate with 20+ leg attacks going into the third round. It was a confusing fight, largely due to Melendez not having appropriate defense and seeming content with walking Stephens down. A win is a win, and Stephens made it look easy. Take what you’re given and run with it. Looking at the top ten in the featherweight division, he’s probably remaining at a standstill yet may move up at least one spot.
Ketlen Vieira – Second biggest winner here, aside from dos Anjos. Vieira did some work on the feet and tried to impose her size and reach advantage. She defended the takedown for a bit, but you can only do so much against an Olympic-level wrestler. Being able to work your way to a submission in a gutsy manner like that was impressive, and she’s now got a pretty big notch on her belt after beating the #6 fighter in her division.
Sarah Moras – That flexibility was a factor, but Moras’ patience and focus on technique was essential here. She kept the position, waited for the opportunity and turned with Evans-Smith at just the right time to get the submission locked in. It was beautiful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I’m sure a lot of grappling nerds were giddy with what she pulled off. Big win against a raw but strong and capable fighter after two years and two months off. Also the biggest name she’s beaten since Julianna Pena in 2012.
Rick Glenn – I remember first hearing about Glenn shortly before he was set to fight in World Series of Fighting years ago, and he was impressive there. After going 1-1 against Evan Dunham and Phillipe Nover, he really hit his stride and genuinely looked like he was having fun in there. His striking looks better than ever and his grappling isn’t just confined to his scrappy submission setups. He controlled well on the ground and really should have had the fight stopped way sooner than the closing horn. Now 2-1, him and his 70s policeman mustache are getting that work in on the big stage, as it should be. Big ups to him for such a great performance against a hot prospect people were very high on.
Alex White– After eating a ton of knees to the body in the clinch, White kept it together and outworked Clarke to end up with a pretty brutal win. He evens out his UFC record at 3-3, and does so with an impressive finish.
Kajan Johnson– People are always wary of anyone that says “ring rust isn’t real“, but Kajan Johnson seems like he’s yet another exception to the rule. Much like Dominick Cruz, he seemed virtually unaffected by the long layoff, parking a right hand on Adriano Martins that laid him out. That’s three in a row for Johnson, who is 3-1 in his UFC run.
Arjan Bhullar – Punjabi Power indeed. After looking a bit inactive to open the fight, Bhullar showed some real veteran-level patience and composure to earn a hard-fought win. Even though his opponent turned up the heat in the last round, Bhullar showed great head movement for a guy that came from a wrestling background. The UFC wanted to break into the Indian market so bad for so long, they finally found a Desi with a solid pedigree to make inroads for that to happen. All they had to do was go to Western Canada for it to happen. Who knew?
Losers
Neil Magny – It’s a tough place to be when you’re at the top of welterweight, and Magny once again gets beat by a tested veteran capable of shiftng phases and with great top control. Magny’s been alternating wins and losses since defeating Hector Lombard early last year, but his stock doesn’t take too much of a hit here. That said, it’s valid to ask if he’s found his ceiling or if he may benefit from changing strategies – perhaps even a change of training environments or something along those lines. He’ll still be firmly entrenched in the top ten, but this could be a tipping point that leads to being relegated as a gatekeeper. Only time will tell.
Gilbert Melendez – Gilbert got his legs beat beat up something fierce. He looked healthy and spry at the ceremonial weigh-ins, but didn’t check leg kicks until his left leg was battered and ended up dropping to his back a few times. Once there, he was unable to capitalize. Hard to pinpoint what it was, but this was a fight where he really could have performed better, and his stock takes a pretty big hit. He’s a very good fighter that lost to another very good fighter, but it didn’t look good from his end, and that’s what the focus will be on when people think of this fight.
Sara McMann – McMann sees her three-fight win streak snapped, and all in a fight she was arguably winning. The biggest sticking point here was her failure to defend the arm triangle properly. Maybe her body gave up, maybe she panicked, we don’t know. These things happen in the fight game, and even a lifelong grappler like her can fall prey to it. This is another case where perhaps a fighter’s ceiling may be well-defined.
Wilson Reis – This is a tough one, because he’s got two consecutive losses to a fighter that’s looking like he’s en route to being the best ever (and some consider he’s already there), and an Olympic gold medalist that can crack. It’s two in a row, but there’s an asterisk the size of São Paulo there. He came into this fight ranked at #5, and won’t drop far from here. It’s hard to get ahead in a division when the elite are that far from everyone else, but that’s the fight game.
Referee Kyle Cardinal – Come on, guy. What’s Glenn gotta do for you to stop the fight? Pull out a shotgun? We try to stay away from going hard on refs, but this wasn’t just a mistake. Calling a fight too early is a mistake. Letting this go on for as long as it did was sad and incompetent. Again, it’s a difficult and thankless job, but this was irresponsible. Taking into consideration the recent controversies of the Edmonton commission only makes this worse.
Ashlee Evans-Smith loses two in a row, this time against an opponent that hasn’t fought in two years. That’s not to say that this was a layup, because Moras really has underrated ground skills. But she seems to be sliding out of any relevancy in the division. It’s a bit harsh, but there aren’t too many options from here. She should stick around and get another fight, but don’t be too shocked if she’s cut. Adriano Martins looked good early but got slept badly for his second straight loss. Luis Enrique put on a nice late rally, but it wasn’t enough. He also ends up with two straight losses and is now 2-3 in his UFC run. He may get cut, but should probably get another shot in a division starved for talent.
Neither
Valentina Shevchenko – Again, yes – she lost on paper. But I can see the case for her winning a very close fight. Do yourself a favor and look at the rest of the division. Is there really a case to make that she shouldn’t get another shot at Nunes? And I don’t mean later down the line two or three years from now, but you could argue that even an immediate rematch would be fine. The fight itself was a tight and suspenseful affair, even if a lot of people derided it for being boring. It was tactical, both parties remained active, and both put on a great effort. Sometimes elite fighters at the top of their divisions face each other, and this is what it looks like. This wasn’t for the Just Bleed crowd, and Valentina acquitted herself very well here. She loses nothing in the eyes of fans as far as her talent, even if some will trash the fight because of their own impatience. That, of course, is on them. She loses virtually nothing in terms of divisional standing and remains just as marketable if the UFC decides to put some more muscle behind her.
Tyson Pedro– First professional loss and first time he makes it to a decision. I’ll chalk this one up to growing pains, as he took a big step up in competition and should have no trouble at all rebounding from this. He’s only 25 with a lot of potential at light heavyweight and all of his wins are finishes. Plus, he’s 2-1 in the UFC. He’ll be fine.
Mitch Clarke – With a professional record of 11-5 and at only the tender age of 31, Clarke deserves respect for hanging it up now. Hats off to him for deciding to stop now and not too late, as a lot of fighters unfortunately do. He’s always been an affable and humble fighter, and I wish him nothing but happiness in whatever he does from here on in.
Gavin Tucker – I was tempted to put him in the Loser category, but this is another fighter suffering his first professional loss. He’s also got potential and simply got beaten by a more experienced fighter able to capitalize on his faults. He’s also going to be OK.
Edmonton might not have gotten what they wanted, but ended up with a decent UFC event in the end.
Western Canada seems perpetually doomed to suffer the promise of big talent and sexy cards, only to have it all fall apart despite the best intentions of all parties involved. Not only did this card lose Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg, it also lost one of (if not the) most compelling matchups in the heavyweight division in Junior dos Santos vs Francis Ngannou as well. That’s not to say this wasn’t a good card on paper, but it’s unfortunate that only the more dedicated fans were going to be happy with it. The venue reportedly sold out, but the buyrate that many people were already sour on might have taken a hit.
You can make the case that anyone that was going to buy a PPV headlined by Mighty Mouse was a dedicated enough fan that they were going to do so no matter what after the initial main event fell apart, but it suffered from lacking that “big event“ feel. It’s a tough ask for fans to pay for this event, especially in this Mayweather-McGregor hangover period. The real shame is that this could have done very well as a card on big Fox instead of PPV, and a good amount of the fighters on this card really could have benefited from the exposure. In the end, the UFC may have ended up underperforming with a card in an underserved market, but at least the fans in attendance got some good action out of it.
Winners
Amanda Nunes – Disagree with the decision all you want, this makes six in a row for Nunes and her second title defense. On paper, she’s beaten three of the absolute best talents that this weight class has produced (even if Rousey was past her prime) and defeats Shevchenko for a second time. As far as the decision goes, I see the case both for Shevchenko winning, as well as a case for a draw. I’m not mad at it, though. Despite this being a 2-0 situation, it’s not absurd to think that after such a close decision we may see them tangle yet again. I’d even be up for this being a best-of-five series, really. Maybe Raquel Pennington will get a title shot next (with Holly Holm reportedly in talks to fight Cris Cyborg at 145), but this is a division that still has Ronda Rousey ranked at #4. There’s complete disarray outside of the top five with no clear-cut contender. The rivalry isn’t dead, it’s probably more alive than ever now.
Rafael dos Anjos – That was beautiful. He may not be training with Cordeiro anymore, but dos Anjos clearly has kept a lot of the principles we see from guys that train with Kings MMA for a while. A beautiful counter low kick led to the beginning of the end, with masterful top control and the eventual submission. Rafael’s shifting and leg positioning really made the difference to get that extra bit of space closed off, and Magny looked miserable by the time he got the tap. This win should nudge him into the top ten, but not by much since most of the fighters already there have recent wins or have upcoming commitments. Considering Stephen Thompson (#2), Demian Maia (3) and Donald Cerrone (6) are all coming off losses, this should bump him up at least one or two spots. Then again, ranking methods are mostly trash. Make of it what you will.
Henry Cejudo– Cejudo’s hands looked even better this time around, and he’s a joy to watch. This was a big, big way to break out of a two-fight losing skid against Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. Ranked at #2, he may even get the next title shot if Borg (#3) falls through again or Sergio Pettis (#4) isn’t available or ready. Whether or not it’s a compelling enough matchup is another thing, and many questions would surround the possibility of him being improved enough to put up a better effort in a rematch. It’s not Henry’s fault, DJ is just that far ahead of the pack. It’s the blessing and the curse, and it casts a shadow on the rest of the division as a result.
Ilir Latifi – Blessings on blessings on blessings. Latifi countered low kicks beautifully with his hands and used his hard-nosed approach to explode into clinches and work monstrous takedowns. After almost exactly a year out of commission due to that knockout loss at the knees of Ryan Bader (hi, Ben!!), Latifi came back and outworked the younger fighter, but fought extra smart with his veteran savvy to time his attacks and avoid the big kicks. Another fighter that unfortunately is likely to make minimal progression on paper when it comes to the rankings.
Jeremy Stephens – Stephens was very effective with his low kicks, racking up a 100% success rate with 20+ leg attacks going into the third round. It was a confusing fight, largely due to Melendez not having appropriate defense and seeming content with walking Stephens down. A win is a win, and Stephens made it look easy. Take what you’re given and run with it. Looking at the top ten in the featherweight division, he’s probably remaining at a standstill yet may move up at least one spot.
Ketlen Vieira – Second biggest winner here, aside from dos Anjos. Vieira did some work on the feet and tried to impose her size and reach advantage. She defended the takedown for a bit, but you can only do so much against an Olympic-level wrestler. Being able to work your way to a submission in a gutsy manner like that was impressive, and she’s now got a pretty big notch on her belt after beating the #6 fighter in her division.
Sarah Moras – That flexibility was a factor, but Moras’ patience and focus on technique was essential here. She kept the position, waited for the opportunity and turned with Evans-Smith at just the right time to get the submission locked in. It was beautiful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I’m sure a lot of grappling nerds were giddy with what she pulled off. Big win against a raw but strong and capable fighter after two years and two months off. Also the biggest name she’s beaten since Julianna Pena in 2012.
Rick Glenn – I remember first hearing about Glenn shortly before he was set to fight in World Series of Fighting years ago, and he was impressive there. After going 1-1 against Evan Dunham and Phillipe Nover, he really hit his stride and genuinely looked like he was having fun in there. His striking looks better than ever and his grappling isn’t just confined to his scrappy submission setups. He controlled well on the ground and really should have had the fight stopped way sooner than the closing horn. Now 2-1, him and his 70s policeman mustache are getting that work in on the big stage, as it should be. Big ups to him for such a great performance against a hot prospect people were very high on.
Alex White– After eating a ton of knees to the body in the clinch, White kept it together and outworked Clarke to end up with a pretty brutal win. He evens out his UFC record at 3-3, and does so with an impressive finish.
Kajan Johnson– People are always wary of anyone that says “ring rust isn’t real“, but Kajan Johnson seems like he’s yet another exception to the rule. Much like Dominick Cruz, he seemed virtually unaffected by the long layoff, parking a right hand on Adriano Martins that laid him out. That’s three in a row for Johnson, who is 3-1 in his UFC run.
Arjan Bhullar – Punjabi Power indeed. After looking a bit inactive to open the fight, Bhullar showed some real veteran-level patience and composure to earn a hard-fought win. Even though his opponent turned up the heat in the last round, Bhullar showed great head movement for a guy that came from a wrestling background. The UFC wanted to break into the Indian market so bad for so long, they finally found a Desi with a solid pedigree to make inroads for that to happen. All they had to do was go to Western Canada for it to happen. Who knew?
Losers
Neil Magny – It’s a tough place to be when you’re at the top of welterweight, and Magny once again gets beat by a tested veteran capable of shiftng phases and with great top control. Magny’s been alternating wins and losses since defeating Hector Lombard early last year, but his stock doesn’t take too much of a hit here. That said, it’s valid to ask if he’s found his ceiling or if he may benefit from changing strategies – perhaps even a change of training environments or something along those lines. He’ll still be firmly entrenched in the top ten, but this could be a tipping point that leads to being relegated as a gatekeeper. Only time will tell.
Gilbert Melendez – Gilbert got his legs beat beat up something fierce. He looked healthy and spry at the ceremonial weigh-ins, but didn’t check leg kicks until his left leg was battered and ended up dropping to his back a few times. Once there, he was unable to capitalize. Hard to pinpoint what it was, but this was a fight where he really could have performed better, and his stock takes a pretty big hit. He’s a very good fighter that lost to another very good fighter, but it didn’t look good from his end, and that’s what the focus will be on when people think of this fight.
Sara McMann – McMann sees her three-fight win streak snapped, and all in a fight she was arguably winning. The biggest sticking point here was her failure to defend the arm triangle properly. Maybe her body gave up, maybe she panicked, we don’t know. These things happen in the fight game, and even a lifelong grappler like her can fall prey to it. This is another case where perhaps a fighter’s ceiling may be well-defined.
Wilson Reis – This is a tough one, because he’s got two consecutive losses to a fighter that’s looking like he’s en route to being the best ever (and some consider he’s already there), and an Olympic gold medalist that can crack. It’s two in a row, but there’s an asterisk the size of São Paulo there. He came into this fight ranked at #5, and won’t drop far from here. It’s hard to get ahead in a division when the elite are that far from everyone else, but that’s the fight game.
Referee Kyle Cardinal – Come on, guy. What’s Glenn gotta do for you to stop the fight? Pull out a shotgun? We try to stay away from going hard on refs, but this wasn’t just a mistake. Calling a fight too early is a mistake. Letting this go on for as long as it did was sad and incompetent. Again, it’s a difficult and thankless job, but this was irresponsible. Taking into consideration the recent controversies of the Edmonton commission only makes this worse.
Ashlee Evans-Smith loses two in a row, this time against an opponent that hasn’t fought in two years. That’s not to say that this was a layup, because Moras really has underrated ground skills. But she seems to be sliding out of any relevancy in the division. It’s a bit harsh, but there aren’t too many options from here. She should stick around and get another fight, but don’t be too shocked if she’s cut. Adriano Martins looked good early but got slept badly for his second straight loss. Luis Enrique put on a nice late rally, but it wasn’t enough. He also ends up with two straight losses and is now 2-3 in his UFC run. He may get cut, but should probably get another shot in a division starved for talent.
Neither
Valentina Shevchenko – Again, yes – she lost on paper. But I can see the case for her winning a very close fight. Do yourself a favor and look at the rest of the division. Is there really a case to make that she shouldn’t get another shot at Nunes? And I don’t mean later down the line two or three years from now, but you could argue that even an immediate rematch would be fine. The fight itself was a tight and suspenseful affair, even if a lot of people derided it for being boring. It was tactical, both parties remained active, and both put on a great effort. Sometimes elite fighters at the top of their divisions face each other, and this is what it looks like. This wasn’t for the Just Bleed crowd, and Valentina acquitted herself very well here. She loses nothing in the eyes of fans as far as her talent, even if some will trash the fight because of their own impatience. That, of course, is on them. She loses virtually nothing in terms of divisional standing and remains just as marketable if the UFC decides to put some more muscle behind her.
Tyson Pedro– First professional loss and first time he makes it to a decision. I’ll chalk this one up to growing pains, as he took a big step up in competition and should have no trouble at all rebounding from this. He’s only 25 with a lot of potential at light heavyweight and all of his wins are finishes. Plus, he’s 2-1 in the UFC. He’ll be fine.
Mitch Clarke – With a professional record of 11-5 and at only the tender age of 31, Clarke deserves respect for hanging it up now. Hats off to him for deciding to stop now and not too late, as a lot of fighters unfortunately do. He’s always been an affable and humble fighter, and I wish him nothing but happiness in whatever he does from here on in.
Gavin Tucker – I was tempted to put him in the Loser category, but this is another fighter suffering his first professional loss. He’s also got potential and simply got beaten by a more experienced fighter able to capitalize on his faults. He’s also going to be OK.
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos looked great in his bout against Neil Magny in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 215 PPV (pay-per-view) event. Now, he wants the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. According to “RDA,” he thinks his victory over Magny solidified it for him. RDA improved to […]
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos looked great in his bout against Neil Magny in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 215 PPV (pay-per-view) event. Now, he wants the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. According to “RDA,” he thinks his victory over Magny solidified it for him.
RDA improved to 2-0 since he moved up to 170 pounds earlier this year. He picked up a first-round submission win over Magny at the event, which took place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Going into the bout, dos Anjos believed that he was already on the cusp of a fight with Woodley. If you recall, RDA was booked as an alternate if top contender Demian Maia would’ve been unable to fight Woodley at UFC 214. Maia ended up taking the fight and lost an underwhelming unanimous decision to the champion.
“This division’s wide open; all the top-five, top-six guys in this division have lost to the champion or to the last challenger, which was Demian Maia,” dos Anjos said after UFC 215 (transcript courtesy of MMA Junkie). “(Stephen) Thompson lost twice to Woodley already. I’m the new blood in this division. I was getting ready to fight Woodley if Maia didn’t take the fight, but he ended up taking the fight. But I was getting ready for it, so here I am.”
Dos Anjos wants to take some time off from competing due to the fact that he has fought twice in a three-month stretch. Dos Anjos thinks he’s the most probable candidate for a title shot.
“I’m the former lightweight champion looking forward to being a two-division champion,” dos Anjos said. “I know Woodley has an injury, but I need some time off now. I fought three months ago in Singapore. I just fought now. I was preparing for Woodley, but Maia took the fight. I don’t want to lose what I was training already, so I called (UFC matchmaker Sean) Shelby and said, ‘Hey, I want to fight, if you have somebody.’ Then the opportunity with Neil Magny came up. We’ll see. My goal is to fight for the title.”
“One thing I can be sure, is we’re going to fight,” dos Anjos said. “I’m not going to let him walk around, and I’m going to make sure I push the pace. I’m not saying I will not use my strategy. Of course I will. But I will walk forward. I have confidence in me, in my cardio, and I’m going to make him work.”
After 2016 saw him drop his lightweight title and be summarily written out of the 155-pound title picture by back-to-back losses, Rafael dos Anjos looks reborn at welterweight.
That was the takeaway from Dos Anjos’ impressive first-round submission win…
After 2016 saw him drop his lightweight title and be summarily written out of the 155-pound title picture by back-to-back losses, Rafael dos Anjos looks reborn at welterweight.
That was the takeaway from Dos Anjos’ impressive first-round submission win over Neil Magny on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 215. The victory gave the 32-year-old Brazilian two in a row at 170 pounds and abruptly put the top contenders in his newfound division on notice.
Now that Dos Anjos no longer has to nearly kill himself making weight, he’s back to being bad, bad news.
“I was struggling so much to make weight [at lightweight],” Dos Anjos told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. “I want to see my kids grow. I want to see my grandkids. That’s why I decided to move up.”
With a dearth of fresh title contenders for welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, it’s possible Dos Anjos might find himself filling that void without much further ado.
He entered this fight at No. 10 on the UFC’s official 170-pound rankings, following a unanimous-decision win over former Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffidine in his divisional debut in June. After effortlessly dispatching the sixth-ranked Magny, it’s a good bet he’ll be knocking on the door of the top five when the next batch of rankings are released.
The 30-year-old Magny entered fresh on the heels of a victory over former champ Johny Hendricks at UFC 207, but Dos Anjos made short work of him on this night at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Dos Anjos rendered Magny’s significant height and reach advantages null when he scooped the Brooklyn, New York native off his feet with a powerful low kick in the early going. From there, Dos Anjos presented a clinic on how to use top position to work for a finish.
He moved from half guard to mount with an ease befitting his status as a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt. On the way, he threatened with a guillotine choke and pestered Magny with a series of elbows and a wicked knee to the gut.
As Magny tried to reposition himself to avoid Dos Anjos’ elbows, the former champion locked up an arm-triangle choke and slid back to the side. Magny couldn’t fight it off for long and tapped out with just three minutes, 43 seconds gone in the first round.
Call it a return to form for Dos Anjos, who went 10-1 between 2012-15 and won the 155-pound title from Anthony Pettis at UFC 185. During that run, Dos Anjos made his name as an aggressive striker and hard-nosed grappler while taking out a series of other well-known UFC attractions like Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone.
Dos Anjos never really caught on as a drawing card, however, and he unexpectedly lost his title to Eddie Alvarez in July 2016, at the low-profile UFC Fight Night 90. That event took place on a Thursday night and aired exclusively on the UFC’s digital subscription service, as part of a three-night extravaganza leading up to the gala UFC 200 fight card.
It made for an ignominious end to Dos Anjos’ run as 155-pound titleist. When he also lost his next bout, to the surging Tony Ferguson in November of that year, he essentially dropped off the crowded lightweight map. It seemed like the end of him as a championship-level fighter.
But on a UFC 215 pay-per-view card that had to be revamped after Demetrious Johnson’s scheduled flyweight title defense against Ray Borg was scratched just before weigh-ins, Dos Anjos roared back to contender status.
Despite that earlier win over Saffiedine, he needed this victory over a solid, middle-of-the-pack welterweight like Magny to prove he’s a serious threat there.
It would be a meteoric reemergence if Dos Anjos managed to roll these two victories straight into a title fight against Woodley, but it also isn’t impossible.
Woodley is just shy of two months removed from a tepid victory over Demian Maia at UFC 214. His previous title defense against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 209 didn’t earn rave reviews, either.
If UFC matchmakers are looking for a challenger who can match Woodley stylistically and push the pace against him physically, they may have found their man in Dos Anjos.
His arrival in the 170-pound title picture is well-timed, too. The top end of the division is currently clogged with guys Woodley has already beaten, including Thompson, Maia, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit.
Assuming the landscape remains the same, fight company brass might not have many good options to give Woodley next, aside from Jorge Masvidal or Dos Anjos.
Exactly what happens next, of course, might hinge on the plans of returning former champion Georges St-Pierre. After a lengthy negotiation over his comeback bout, St-Pierre is booked to take on Michael Bisping for the middleweight title at UFC 217 on Nov. 4.
Depending on how that fight goes, GSP could choose to remain at 185 pounds or return to the welterweight division he ruled with extreme prejudice from roughly 2006-13.
For now, however, Dos Anjos appears well-positioned in his new home.
If all that was keeping him from competing at his full potential at lightweight truly was the massive weight cut, the welterweight division has a new—and very dangerous—contender on its hands.
UFC 215 is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money. UFC 215 took place on Saturday, September 9th at the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada. The preliminary card aired on Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET and FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET while the […]
UFC 215 is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money.
UFC 215 took place on Saturday, September 9th at the Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada. The preliminary card aired on Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET and FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET while the main card aired on PPV at 10 p.m. ET.
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg for the flyweight title was originally supposed to headline this show. However, Borg pulled out due to an illness. Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s bantamweight title served as the main event. Rounding out the main card was Rafael dos Anjos vs. Neil Magny in a welterweight bout, Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis in a flyweight bout, Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro in a light heavyweight bout, and Gilbert Melendez vs. Jeremy Stephens in a featherweight bout.
After 2016 saw him drop his lightweight title and be summarily written out of the 155-pound title picture by back-to-back losses, Rafael dos Anjos looks reborn at welterweight.