Tag: Event Reviews

7 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event. Noche UFC… I mean UFC 306… I mean Riyadh Season Noche UFC — that’s far too much choice for my brain to handle — was no ordinary MMA card. It was the very first live sporting event to take place inside […]

Continue Reading 7 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili at MMA News.

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event.

Noche UFC… I mean UFC 306… I mean Riyadh Season Noche UFC — that’s far too much choice for my brain to handle — was no ordinary MMA card. It was the very first live sporting event to take place inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere.

Dana White’s initial anger at the MGM for not alerting him to the PBC’s quick claim to the September 14 date to stage an always highly anticipated Canelo Álvarez outing birthed a new opportunity. The chance to put on an elaborate and expensive spectacle. The possibility to move beyond the arena setup we’re used to.

With great risk comes great reward. But with great superlatives — and boy did White and other UFC figures throw them around when describing what fans could expect — comes pressure to deliver.

Did they? More on that later.

Tasked with delivering in a different realm of entertainment were the fighters themselves, chief among them the four athletes entering the Octagon with gold on the line. The main event saw Sean O’Malley defend his belt against Merab Dvalishvili in a clash I’d have comfortably placed as the toughest to predict in 2024 in the lead-up. Oh, and the second toughest to predict came right beforehand as flyweight queen Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko completed their historic trilogy.

Elsewhere, the hottest rising name in the game Diego Lopes had his chance to climb into the featherweight top five against Brian Ortega, while Mexican standouts Daniel Zellhuber and Ronaldo Rodriguez looked to celebrate their nation’s independence in style.

But did all those names — and the $20 million Sphere show — come together to put on an exciting night of fights? Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from Noche UFC 306.

Negative – Not Even For The Sphere?!

Is getting value for money just not a thing in North America?

Best believe that if I’m spending thousands on cageside tickets to a UFC event (probably should have chosen a career other than MMA writer…), I’m not missing a punch, kick, eye poke, low blow, stance switch or damn syllable that comes out of Bruce Buffer’s mouth.

It seems my fellow Europeans largely feel the same. It is rare to see a super empty venue upon the start of any preliminary card on this side of the pond. In the US, however, it seems to be the opposite. Countless T-Mobile Arena-held PPVs have shown that even the top lineups and spectacles don’t draw those affluent enough for the top seats to the venue on time.

But for the very first live sporting event at the Sphere, that was bound to change. Right? RIGHT?! Miraculously, no. We had the usual selection of absent attendees.

Is it really too much to ask for fighting events to be watched by people who actually like and are there for fighting? Can we not have some sort of 20-question quiz to weed out the fakes? Perhaps that would have given the opening fight of Noche UFC 306 less of an Apex feel to it.

Some empty seats probably didn’t warrant a full negative here, I admit. But it pissed me off and, well, this is my editorial, so that’s that.

Positive – A Mexican Backfist

The talk of Las Vegas for the past week has been the famed Mexican fighting spirit and toughness. We didn’t get a strong display of that in fight one at Noche UFC 306, but boy did we in the second.

Mexicali’s Edgar Cháirez may not have had many bouts in the UFC, but he’s done his nation proud plenty of times. From going toe-to-toe with the undefeated Tatsuro Taira in defeat on just two weeks’ notice to a first-round triangle choke submission against Daniel Lacerda, “Puro Chicali’s” Octagon fights (no contest aside) haven’t been short on highlights.

Well, we can add the best yet to that after Saturday night. In fact, we can add one of the best highlights of 2024 to the end-of-year reels.

The Mexican produced that in his clash with Joshua Van inside the Sphere. Cháirez found himself in all sorts of trouble midway through round two when he was badly hurt to the liver and the victim of an absolute onslaught of hooks and uppecuts.

As he turned his back against the cage, Mark Smith looked a second away from stepping in. What happened next defied any and all expectation, as “Puro Chicali” uncorked a spinning backfist to rock Van and turn the tables.

Unfortunately for Cháirez, that moment of success wasn’t enough to carry him to victory on the scorecards. But when it comes to the “fight like a Mexican” saying, he fulfilled that and then some to bring some momentum back to the Sphere show alongside an impressive Van.

Positive – Club & Sub

We completed the trifecta of snoozefest, barnburner, and finish in the opening three fights of the night at Noche UFC 306. And when it comes to the first stoppage inside the Sphere, it was certainly worth the brief wait.

Ketlen Souza continued the trend set by Cháirez and Van by delivering utter violence. Poor Yazmin Jauregui essentially fell to both a knockout and a submission, first being flattened after falling on the much worse side of an exchange of left hooks.

As the Mexican barely woke back up and was probably filled with confusion about the spherical building she found herself in, her Brazilian counterpart met her on the ground, locked in a rear-naked choke, and rendered her unconscious again.

As far as the first finish to take place inside the Sphere, Souza couldn’t have delivered much better.

Now, a brief note on the release.

Souza definitely held on for an extra second, and that is not good to see. We’ve certainly seen more egregious instances of athletes not releasing submissions, but that doesn’t make the Brazilian’s decision to keep choking an unconscious opponent for longer than required any less disappointing.

Positive – A Mexican Warrior

This is the second positive that focuses on a losing Mexican. While a number of results went against the nation on Saturday’s preliminary card, the likes of Cháirez and Irene Aldana did not go down without a fight.

This could easily be a negative purely because of what a rough break it was for Aldana to be cut so badly from an inadvertent clash of heads in round two of her collision with Norma Dumont.

When I say worst cut in UFC history…

Off the top of my head, it’s certainly up there. But the former title challenger was not deterred, continuing her immense forward pressure through punches coming back her way that no doubt turned he cut from a bad blemish to a gaping wound in the final frame. Aldana’s commitment to throwing the kitchen sink in pursuit of a finish even saw her using her shirt as a blood towel in-between charges forward.

Aldana may not have gotten the result she wanted, but you won’t see many displays of toughness like that. And for that to come after a Fight of the Year contender in 2023, the Mexican is on a bloody run of brutality.

Of course, this fight wouldn’t have been a positive overall without the input of Norma Dumont, who showed her talents fighting off the back foot to actually outbox a boxing specialist in Aldana.

Her performance was impressive, and provided that her weight issues are a thing of the past, the Brazilian is well and truly in title contention at 135 pounds.

Positive – THAT’S How You Open

Raul Rosas Jr. did not really get the memo on what was required to enter bonus contention at the Sphere — or how to open the card at such a special event. Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode’ Osbourne did.

Saturday’s prelims were strong aside from the dud of a first bout, which was quick to kill the immediate momentum that existed thanks to the intrigue surrounding the Sphere. But when it came to the PPV opener, Rodriguez and Osbourne put on a flyweight firecracker (yes alliteration was taught in junior school, and no, I won’t abandon it as I near 26) that only added to the occasion after the opening two chapters of “For Mexico, For All Time.”

Rodriguez was almost left with egg on his face after his confident walkout and in-cage dancing were quickly followed by a vicious right hand by “The Jamaican Sensation” that appeared set to see the Mexican finished in one round.

Somehow, someway, Rodriguez survived. And more than that, he went about delivering offense of his own en route to taking rounds two and three for the victory on the judges’ scorecards.

Speaking of the scorecards…

Negative – Consistency, Where Art Thou?

I really do hate having to include judging in the negative column because I’d like to avoid re-enforcing people’s often warped view of the scoring criteria and what constitutes a ‘robbery’.

But this can’t be ignored.

Two judges scored the main card opener 29-27 for Rodriguez, granting him a 10-8 in round two. The idea that the Mexican did enough for that and Osbourne didn’t in the first stanza is ludicrous.

The culprits? No prizes for correctly guessing Adalaide Byrd, who evidently has the job security of a worker walking in on their boss cheating on his wife with his assistant to still be judging at the highest level. She joined Ron McCarthy in turning in a real puzzler.

It would have been nice to emerge from such an incredible fight without a judging controversy. But nice things are difficult to come by in MMA.

Positive – The Fourth FOTN Of The Night

Whether down to the magnitude of the event — Sphere debut, Mexican Independence Day celebration, and all that jazz — or simply the fighters put on the lineup by the UFC, the sheer number of matchups that delivered fireworks on Saturday night was obscene.

The battle to secure Fight of the Night honors was already three contenders deep when Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovics entered the Octagon. They stole it in emphatic fashion and have likely left themselves as the current leaders in the race for 2024’s Fight of the Year.

The star of the show was round three, which began with the Mexican dropping his Argentine foe with a brutal elbow, transitioned to Ribovics pursuing a finish after putting Zellhuber on wobbly legs, and ended with both men trading bombs to the horn.

The fight was utter insanity and, incredibly, once again marked an instance of a Mexican displaying immense toughness and resolve but ultimately falling short when it came to the decision.

Positive – Lopes Lands In The Top Five

First and foremost, is there a better duo than Bruce Buffer and the name Diego? Secondly, how good is the Diego he was introducing at Noche UFC 306?

Diego Lopes 30-26’d a former two-time title challenger and longtime top-five featherweight contender in Brian Ortega to ascend from the lower steps of the rankings to a strong position in the title picture. That’s a sentence I would not have expected to be writing 16 months ago when the Mexico-residing Brazilian stepped in on late notice to share the cage with the undefeated Movsar Evloev.

But since then, Lopes has continued to impress more and more with each outing. And after doing so with his game attitude against same-day opponent Dan Ige in late June, the up-and-comer let his incredible skills do the talking inside the Sphere, first by dropping “T-City” early and then by dominating the remainder of the contest.

Does Lopes beat champion Ilia Topuria or UFC 308 challenger Max Holloway? Anything can happen, but I don’t think so. But will he give us an entertaining title fight against either man? Absolutely.

Negative – Shutout

I can’t remember the last time a fight I found impossible to predict turned out to be completely one-sided. After two competitive fights in 2023, Alexa Grasso simply had nothing for Valentina Shevchenko at Noche UFC 306.

The champion may well have been fortunate to escape last year’s Mexican Independence Day celebration with the title still in her possession, but that fight was the furthest thing from the shutout “Bullet” pitched inside the Sphere.

The main negative here is Grasso’s performance, which peaked at some submission attempts that were never really close to putting Shevchenko in too much trouble. And when it came to altering the course of the fight, not much of use came out of the Mexican’s corner, who appeared resigned to simply urging the champ to strike as if she was choosing for the bout to hit the mat.

Shevchenko’s performance was smart and unwavering, and does not contribute to this negative. But after a thrilling main card up to that point — and the expectation of a highly competitive clash — the first women’s trilogy in UFC history was a complete disappointment.

Negative – Welcome To The Sugar Snoozer

What a horrendous way for such an enthralling show and largely great card to end.

After Shevchenko controlled Grasso en route to a lackluster five-round decision, fireworks were also absent in a bizarre main event that was similarly odd to its title predecessor but for different reasons.

First and foremost were some strange antics from Merab Dvalishvili, who spent the opening seconds screaming at Sean O’Malley’s corner, where Tim Welch was evidently up to his old tricks again. Referee Herb Dean warned him for “excessive coaching.” Does ‘attempting to trick the opposition fighter’ really fall into that bracket? Also, what could have come from said warning should it have been ignored? Are we talking a WWE-style banishment to the back for the coach?

Speaking of Herb…

What on Earth was going through his head toward the end? The veteran official was throwing around some misplaced “keep working” comments during grappling exchanges but it was the final seconds when he went utterly mad, urging the pair to “work” as Dvalishvili circled to protect his guaranteed title win. When did referees’ job description include ‘try to force athletes into a Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje ending’?

Dvalishvili deserves credit for an impressive display of dominance. Wow is he relentless, and wow is his cardio legendary. But when the main talking points from a pay-per-view main event don’t include the fight itself, it has to go into the negative column.

Positive – The Sphere

It would be remiss of me not to conclude this by commenting on what was, let’s be honest, the main show.

It’s important to note the sheer number of prominent fans and pundits online who decided the Sphere experiment was a failure within five minutes of the prelims. Not only had we been told to expect the big stuff during the main card, but did they really expect one of the card’s main drawing points to be revealed prior to the pay-per-view? For free?!

I have my fair share of criticism for the UFC, but anyone who gave their review of the Sphere’s use on Saturday night during the opening fights was simply always going to be negative about the experience whatever they witnessed.

Sure, things started off slowly, but the increasing spectacle built anticipation heading into the PPV main card, and then things well and truly picked up. While I had little doubt that things would be impressive in-person, I was skeptical about the extent to which the experience would translate to television.

How did it translate? Well, very well.

Even on a desktop screen, the 90-second films had the kind of trippy effect I imagine those in attendance felt (amplified, of course). And the ‘worlds’ that the arena transformed into for each fight were spectacular. The final film wasn’t the strongest and felt like a slightly anticlimactic end, but that by no means takes away from the overall show.

And a word on the ring girls, whose attire matched each chapter of the main card film and provided a fantastic aesthetic. All eyes were on the Sphere, but small details like the selection of ring girls and their elaborate clothing made this even feel even grander.

Now, if you showed me the event without any knowledge of the cost that White and co. have long discussed and told me what we saw was the result of $20 million investment, I’d be shocked. But I admit to being out of the loop when it comes to the price of technology like this, and MMA media doesn’t pay well enough for me to have any grasp of what would be worth $20 million.

The other point to highlight is the UFC CEO’s pre-event remarks, which honestly set the bar to an unattainable level. The event was unbelievable, and I was in awe of the visuals in a way I never have been before when watching a sporting event. In that regard, mission accomplished for the UFC.

But I can’t help feeling the overall consensus would have been stronger had White not spent months on a tour of superlatives that only widened the chance for some detractors to feel underwhelmed.

Continue Reading 7 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC 306: Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili at MMA News.

4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

On Saturday, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest event, UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov. After staging its return to Manchester, England, for the UFC 304 pay-per-view last weekend, MMA’s leading promotion remained on the road for a card inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Before returning to the venue […]

Continue Reading 4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov at MMA News.

On Saturday, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest event, UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov.

After staging its return to Manchester, England, for the UFC 304 pay-per-view last weekend, MMA’s leading promotion remained on the road for a card inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Before returning to the venue for its annual numbered event this October (Topuria vs. Holloway! Topuria vs. Holloway! Topuria vs. Holloway!), the UFC put on a Fight Night event topped by elite bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov. The former interim title challenger and his undefeated Russian opponent were looking to stake their claims for a shot at the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili.

Saturday’s co-headliner, meanwhile, saw another fighter look to keep their 0 as Sharabutdin Magomedov attempted to make it three from three in the UFC at the expense of Micha? Oleksiejczuk.

Before that, a second crucial contest at 135 pounds went down. Making the walk for the first time since his defeat to O’Malley in their UFC 299 title fight, Marlon Vera hoped to revive his championship ambitions by stalling the two-weight goals of ex-flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo.

Elsewhere on the lineup, the likes of former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and strawweight submission specialist Mackenzie Dern were among those in action. But did those names come together to put on an entertaining few hours of MMA action?

Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov.

Negative – Howard? Anybody Home?

UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi started out with zero finishes and a judging horror show. Not exactly ideal, is it?

In one of the many decisions that kicked off the preliminary card on Saturday, Sam Hughes handed Victoria Dudakova the first defeat of her career, outpointing the Russian on two of the three judges’ scorecards after three rounds.

But the win for “Sampage” (surely top three for the worst nicknames in MMA? Sorry, Sam) wasn’t a certainty as Bruce Buffer read out the scorecards. That was courtesy of Howard Hughes, who showed that he has no business sitting cageside by scoring all three rounds for Dudakova.

Two? Justifiable. But to give the second frame to the 25-year-old is utterly ludicrous.

I largely don’t buy into judging criticism when plenty of ‘robbery’ cries derive from lost bets and fan favorites not getting the nod. But put Howie’s Saturday scorecard in the group of genuinely terrible verdicts in 2024.

Negative – Well, Keith, That Was Nonsense?

At what point do we accept that the “No Nonsense” Keith Peterson does, indeed, allow nonsense?!

A week on from a UFC 304 event that saw fence grabs galore and the most egregious instance of cheating in recent memory from Muhammad Mokaev — none of which were actually punished with point deductions, by the way — referee incompetence also arrived in the Middle East.

In fairness to Peterson, he was tasked with watching the heavyweightest of heavyweight fights in Don’Tale Mayes vs. Shamil Gaziev. I’m not sure there’s a human in the world who could have watched that slop and stayed focused on their task.

During one exchange that saw the one-time UFC headliner (a travesty) initiate grappling and push Mayes up against the cage, the American had a handful of Gaziev’s shorts and kept ahold despite the ref’s firm warning.

Peterson broke things up and took a point, right? RIGHT?! Of course not, he simply said he would, and then didn’t. Rules do not exist in MMA, folks. The worst part about this is, if Peterson was going to take zero action, why pause the fight and hamper Gaziev’s momentum in that position?

I don’t often agree with Daniel Cormier’s commentary, but his take was so spot on that it’s only right to let him close out this negative…

Positive – Murzakanov Atomics ‘Atomic’

Outside of a few names (Alex Pereira, Ji?í Procházka, and co.), the light heavyweight division isn’t exactly the most enthralling. But one man who is quickly joining the top figures on Mt. Entertainment excelled again in Abu Dhabi.

That man is Azamat Murzakanov, a hard-fisted Russian who has remained unbeaten in his career through four appearances inside the Octagon thus far. That run has seen only one bout go the distance, and of his three knockouts, the most brutal came at the Etihad Arena on Saturday.

The victim of his charge was Alonzo Menifield, who returned less than three months on from a 12-second KO at the hands of Carlos Ulberg. While not quite as quick, Murzakanov sent “Atomic” to a similar fate, putting him on wobbly legs with some hard punches before utterly flattening him with ground-and-pound for the stoppage.

While wins over the likes of Dustin Jacoby and Menifield make it hard to tout “The Professional” for title contention at 205 pounds at this point, he’s certainly a major threat to those above him in the ladder. And if he keeps delivering finishes like the kind he did on Saturday, we’re in for some fun.

Positive – ‘El Fenómeno’ Strikes

I assume many may have been in the same boat when I say that Joel Álvarez is a name I’d largely forgotten about leading in to the latest UFC Fight Night event.

In all fairness, the Spaniard hadn’t competed in over a year since his submission of Marc Diakiese in London. “El Fenómeno” had previously had his undefeated UFC record blemished in vicious and bloody fashion by some Arman Tsarukyan elbows.

With one fight in three straight calendar years, Álvarez was in need of some momentum after having two canceled fights already in 2024. Well, consider momentum acquired, and consider his name firmly back in our minds.

For his comeback fight, the Spanish standout was tasked with adding to the woes of the highly regarded Elves Brener. The Brazilian broke through in 2023 with a 3-0 year that saw him finish seventh for MMA News’ Newcomer of the Year award, but his first outing of 2024 concluded with him falling to the fast-charging Myktybek Orolbai.

And Brener was unable to bounce back in Abu Dhabi, as Alvarez put on a mightily fine performance en route to a TKO in the third and final round. The finish was set up by some brutal knees, before ground-and-pound got the job done.

Back in the Octagon, back on a win streak, and back on the radar at 155 pounds.

Negative – How Many More?

Tony. Tony, Tony, Tony (to be said in a slow and worried tone, not some sort of English football chant).

Tony Ferguson’s latest outing inside the Octagon was close to worst-case scenario, as he fell to yet another defeat in just minutes — although, in all honesty, it’s a relief at this point to see him exit a fight without major damage.

Like most, a loss is always the expected outcome when I see “El Cucuy” enter the cage these days. But even with that outlook on his floundering career, the rapid nature of his submission loss to Michael Chiesa was a surprise.

A retirement has been overdue for a while now, but after losses to Pimblett and “Maverick” to leave him with the unwanted record of suffering the most straight defeats in UFC history, there can be zero doubt about what the future should hold for Ferguson.

Unfortunately, while the gloves came off and it appeared as though Chiesa had passed over his microphone time for the end, Ferguson only half-retired. And in all honesty, with his frequent remarks about making another run as recently as last year, that’s as good as calling for another five-fight contract in the case of “El Cucuy.”

Given how long this term has been appropriate, it’s no longer right to say ‘it’s time’ for him to call it quits. It’s time for the UFC to do so for him.

Positive – Figgy

Deiveson Figueiredo is absolutely a problem in the bantamweight division.

Although a move up appeared clearly due following the end of his second stint on the flyweight throne, I’m not sure many predicted this kind of start to life at 135 pounds for “Deus Da Guerra.”

His debut against Rob Font was slick and impressive. His finish of Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300 added a former champion to his record in the division. His domination of Marlon Vera has no doubt earned him a top-five ranking.

More than just outpointing “Chito” in Abu Dhabi, Figueiredo became the first to knock the Ecuadorian down — a feat that even Sean O’Malley and his knee failed to achieve at UFC 299 this past March.

In terms of pure skill and fighting ability, I’m not sure the Brazilian’s superiority over Vera was ever in doubt. But to see him handle a tricky customer like “Chito” in that fashion was eyebrow-raising, and it also sees another big name added to the title equation at 135 pounds.

What. A. Division.

Positive – Bantamweight Main Events

We’ve had more heavyweight UFC main events in 2024 than bantamweight. Has there ever been a bigger farce in mixed martial arts?

For all the Shamil Gaziev vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruiks we have to sit through, there’s one reason we keep watching. Because a Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov could come along eventually.

Talent! Actual fighting talent, with technique, and strategy, and tactics. As expected, “The Sandman” and his undefeated Russian opponent battled in a highly entertaining chess match to close out Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.

The man having his hand raised at the end of it was Nurmagomedov, who rose to the occasion in what marked by far the toughest test of his blossoming career to date. And while his title ambitions have taken a slight hit, it’s hard to say Sandhagen’s stock dipped.

A round of applause for a bantamweight main event, folks — only the second of the year and the first not to include the title. Would it take a rocket scientist to explain that there are 50 different 135-pound matchups that would be better headliners than the Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac atrocity we’re in for next weekend?

Continue Reading 4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov at MMA News.

4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 304. For the past week, the promotion has been back in the United Kingdom. Why, then, was I still stating up until 7 AM, UFC? Dana White? Anybody? Pre-warning, I planned to do my best not to selfishly write that […]

Continue Reading 4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 at MMA News.

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 304.

For the past week, the promotion has been back in the United Kingdom. Why, then, was I still stating up until 7 AM, UFC? Dana White? Anybody? Pre-warning, I planned to do my best not to selfishly write that as a negative for my fellow Brits and I. Was I successful? No comment.

Regardless of the disappointing timings, nothing was disappointing about the lineup the UFC brought with it across the pond, topped by title defenses for welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards and interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall.

Before Belal Muhammad and Curtis Blaydes looked to bring shouts of ‘and new’ to the Octagon, Paddy Pimblett had his first opportunity at cracking the lightweight rankings against King Green, Arnold Allen attempted to snap his losing skid at the expense of Giga Chikadze, and Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape vied for potential number one contender status at 125 pounds.

Elsewhere, notable British names like Christian Leroy Duncan, Molly McCann, Nathaniel Wood, and Mick Parkin all looked to leave Manchester’s Co-op Live arena with victories. But did they come together to form an entertaining night of fights?

Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from UFC 304.

Negative – Rough Start

I can’t remember the last time a fight at a UFC PPV event pitted two opponents against one another who quite clearly aren’t up to the standard that should be required for someone to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.

Excuse me, I should have said “couldn’t remember,” past tense. I now can remember: Shauna Bannon vs Alice Ardelean.

The Irishwoman arrived in the UFC as a promising prospect last year off the back of a win under the Invicta FC banner. But she flopped on debut, struggling to land any meaningful offense in a decision defeat to Bruna Brasil. Saturday’s opening bout gave her the opportunity to erase the memory of that result with a strong sophomore performance. In that sense, she didn’t exactly succeed.

“Mama B” was tasked with facing a late-notice replacement opponent in Ardelean. The Romanian’s signing raised eyebrows, with most acknowledging her fairly underwhelming record and skillset while suggesting a social media following was the leading cause of her UFC arrival.

The fight was ultimately a close one with about as much quality as the kind of food the fans inside the Co-op Live would have picked up from Manchester kebab shops in the early hours.

Ardelean is certainly not at the level the UFC should require. And given her struggles en route to a lackluster decision win, it’s hard to say that Bannon is.

With an 11 PM start time, the last thing the UK fans needed was a dud to start.

Positive – That’s Better

Thank you, Mick Parkin and Sam Patterson.

When these two entered the cage, it was perhaps still too early for an in-cage alarm to be required. But Parkin, in particular, sent one ringing around Manchester with a thunderous…forearm?!

Regular readers will know my feeling on the heavyweight division (and the UFC’s habit of placing the likes of Shamil Gaziev in main event spots this year). With that, it’s always a relief to see them early on a card. The home favorite on Saturday night, however, brought feelings of relief for a different reason.

Rather than the feared three-round heavyweight slog, Parkin needed less than four minutes to dispatch ?ukasz Brzeski for UFC 304’s first finish. The damage was initially done by a clean overhand right that had “The Bull” on skates. While he survived the onslaught that followed for a time, his panicky evasive manoeuvers ultimately saw his head meet the forearm of Parkin, who had thrown a left hook.

We love a unique knockout move.

Patterson subsequently gave us the triad of fight results, following Bannon’s decision and Parkin’s knockout with a submission victory over Kiefer Crosbie. Like his compatriot’s work beforehand, “The Future” needed just one round to have his hand raised, locking his Irish opponent in an arm-triangle choke for the quick tap.

The Englishman was highly touted prior to a disappointing debut in London last year. But having now won consecutive fights via first-round submissions, Patterson is well and truly back on the radar as one of the welterweight division’s most promising up-and-comers.

Negative – Wolf Tickets

To those who bought into Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape’s “bitter feud” and expected them to do away with their habit of putting on dull affairs at UFC 304, I’m afraid to say you were conned.

It took just a minute into the fight to see what was happening. After a hotel “brawl,” some “hold me back” energy at the ceremonial weigh-ins, and the apparent attempt to get at each other in the cage pre-fight, Mokaev and Kape stayed at range feinting.

The rest of the fight was predictable from there. And while some have turned their nose up at the scorecards, the rounds were so lackluster and absent of effective offense that I’m not sure there could be any logical fury over whatever the judges were to come out with.

But, we did have a real reason for fury in round two: Mike Beltran.

After getting Kape to the mat for the first time in round two, Mokaev displayed some of the most egregious cheating in recent memory by yanking “Starboy’s” shorts down and giving the cageside guests a view of his backside.

To not take a point is frankly diabolical. Congratulations, Mike, you can shout loud. Would you like a certificate? Why not do something actual consequential and take a point for such a blatant foul?

Not only was no point taken, Beltran wasn’t even going to pause the fight and take the position away from Mokaev until Kape practically spelled it out to him.

Whether it’s eye pokes, fence grabs, or de-clothing your foe, rules do not exist in mixed martial arts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, why wouldn’t you cheat when such incompetence comes out of the third men inside the Octagon?

Positive – Bruna’s Brutal Body Blows

It was always going to take something special to write a Molly McCann loss in the positive section, but Bruna Brasil gave it to us on Saturday night. In fact, she gave it to us multiple times.

So, what was special, I hear you ask? Bruna’s body shots, that’s what.

The focus pre-fight was all on McCann and how she appeared to have reinvented herself as a strawweight when she submitted Diana Belbi?? in her divisional debut this past February. Because of that, an accomplished striker in Brasil was a ridiculously big underdog given the holes we’ve seen in “Meatball’s” game.

But the Brazilian made a mockery of the betting lines in a round one that verged on a 10-8. “The Special One” delivered a relentless attack to the home fighter’s body, drawing out major reactions with a few vicious knees and kicks to the midsection.

While she found less success in rounds two and three en route to a comfortable decision, Brasil’s violent assault of McCann’s body early was enough to leave a lasting impression. And with two wins on UK soil under the UFC banner, perhaps England is her good luck charm.

Positive – ‘The Baddy’

Just as the early hours began to take their toll and the crowd inside the Co-op Live faded, Paddy Pimblett arrived to wake them up.

It’s been a difficult period for “The Baddy,” who has had his momentum stalled by injuries and a controversial win over Jared Gordon back in late 2022. His subsequent performance against Tony Ferguson did little to stifle his detractors given “El Cucuy’s” age and losing skid.

With that, Pimblett vowed to get the fans back on his side by running through King (still feels odd to write) Green at UFC 304 — a claim not many took seriously. While a win was never going to be a massive shock, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone predicting one-way traffic and a quick finish.

But that is exactly what we got in Manchester, with a composed Pimblett picking Green apart on the feet in the opening exchanges before punishing the American’s bizarre decision to shoot for a takedown.

After Green slipped out of a guillotine, Pimblett locked in a tight triangle choke, adding in an armbar to the equation just as the ranked contender lost consciousness, sending the home fans into a frenzy.

If Pimblett’s three UFC fights in the UK have taught us anything, it’s that he can always be counted on to create an atmosphere. And his latest triumph has certainly taught his doubters that they were wrong to dismiss his chances of earning a number next to his name on MMA’s biggest stage.

Positive – Tommy Aspinall, Aspinall, Tommy Aspinall!

Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight on planet Earth. Tom Aspinall is the UFC heavyweight champion. That is all.

As much as Jon Jones may try to downplay his talents and dismiss his relevancy outside of the United Kingdom in order to justify his decision to duck him, there can be absolutely no doubt anymore regarding Aspinall’s place atop the heavyweight mountain.

If it wasn’t already clear after he starched Sergei Pavlovich in 69 seconds last November to win the “interim” gold, it sure is now after he stopped Curtis Blaydes in just 60. Aspinall’s first clean shot sat “Razor” down, and the American wasn’t unable to show enough defense on the floor to avoid Marc Goddard’s intervention.

With the win, Aspinall not only defended his title but also made the most of his chance to right the wrong from 2022 when a freak knee injury opposite Blaydes handed him his only Octagon setback to date.

So, what’s next for Aspinall? Well, if it’s not a unification fight with Jones, both the former two-time light heavyweight kingpin and the UFC should get significant backlash from the community.

And if Jones does indeed fight Stipe Miocic in a “legacy fight” that will do nothing for his legacy before retiring, his deliberate avoidance of Aspinall will mark a sizable stain on the back end of his career.

Fight the man, Jones.

Negative – Silly

I hate to conclude things with a complaint, but seriously, what was the UFC thinking?

At my desk, I was struggling to stay awake for a hefty chunk of the UFC 304 main card. I can’t even imagine feeling like that while in attendance at the Co-op Live, and it’s no wonder the atmosphere was absent for much of it.

Of course, Paddy Pimblett’s entrance and the memorable wins for him and Tom Aspinall brought out the kind of cheers and reaction expected of a UK crowd. But just before that, Christian Leroy Duncan and Gregory Rodrigues fought out an entertaining and bloody battle amid complete silence.

Post-event, Dana White had the nerve to criticize fighters for not being motivated by the $100,000 bonuses, stating he’ll never raise them under pressure at press conferences ever again. How about never making athletes compete at 3, 4, and 5 AM again? Maybe that had something to do with it?

The idea of a top promotion at the highest level of the sport making a champion defend their title at that time doesn’t sit right with me — or most, it seems. Leon Edwards will be accused of making excuses after bringing up the impact of the UFC 304 timings on his performance, but it would be ignorant to suggest that it wouldn’t have played a part.

The likes of Edwards had to compete in the early hours because the idea of American fans watching an event at 4 PM instead of 10 PM was apparently too crazy to entertain. Do better, UFC.

What this guy said ?

Continue Reading 4 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 at MMA News.

4 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez

On Saturday, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest event, UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez. After a rare weekend off in the aftermath of the UFC 303 pay-per-view late last month, the promotion kicked off its schedule for July by bringing the Octagon back to Denver. The main event came […]

Continue Reading 4 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez at MMA News.

On Saturday, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest event, UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez.

After a rare weekend off in the aftermath of the UFC 303 pay-per-view late last month, the promotion kicked off its schedule for July by bringing the Octagon back to Denver. The main event came in the women’s flyweight division, with surging prospect Tracy Cortez receiving a major opportunity to climb the ranks against Rose Namajunas.

“Thug Rose,” a former two-time strawweight champion, was originally set to do battle with top five contender Maycee Barber. But with “The Future” out injured, the #11-ranked Cortez filled in on short notice, looking to extend her undefeated UFC record by adding the biggest scalp to her résumé thus far.

Elsewhere on the card, prominent names like welterweight veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio, always entertaining lightweight Drew Dober, and middleweight knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan were among those making the walk inside Ball Arena.

But did those athletes come together to put on an entertaining night of MMA? Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez.

Positive – The Flyweight Revolution

For a while now, the strawweights have quite clearly made up the premier women’s division in the UFC. Before its demise last year, featherweight was virtually non-existent anyway. As far as bantamweight goes, aside from Kayla Harrison and a few names like Irena Aldana, underwhelming. Flyweight? Well…

Across a number of years, the 125-pound weight class could be summed up as Valentina Shevchenko destroying her competition and a group of largely uninteresting contenders battling for a second place that not many paid attention to.

Now, with a new champion at the helm, a fresh crop of actually high-level and intriguing contenders, and some seriously talented up-and-comers, the tide has firmly turned in the women’s flyweight division.

When it comes to the third of those groups, one of the leading names was in action on Saturday night as Luana Santos moved to 3-0 on MMA’s biggest stage. The Brazilian welcomed Mariya Agapova back to the cage after a two-year layoff. Just like her previous fight in 2022, the Kazakh was left getting the life squeezed out of her while locked in a gruesomely tight rear-naked choke.

Despite her best efforts to fight the hands, Agapova was forced to tap out. And with that, Santos has joined Natália Silva and Karine Silva as another Brazilian prospect threatening to shake up a flyweight title picture that already boasts rising names like Manon Fiorot, Erin Blanchfield, and Maycee Barber.

Oh, and a fourth category I forgot to mention: gritty flyweights who will just throw down. Thanks Jasmine Jasudavicius and the debuting Fatima Kline for reminding me with one of the night’s best fights.

Speaking of Jasudavicius, however…

Negative – Dirty

So are we just going to ignore what Jasudavicius did at the end of her fight?

Jasudavicius once again delivered the goods inside the Octagon, pitching a shutout against a highly regarded newcomer in Kline. Unfortunately, she pulled off a dirty and classless move to add a stain to the result.

After attempting a choke in the final seconds, the horn sounded. Instead of releasing the hold and returning to her feet following the conclusion of the fight, the Canadian released it and launched an elbow at her opponent’s head.

In a similar case earlier in the night, Andre Petroski had already began to throw his punch at Josh Fremd when the first-round horn sounded. Jasudavicius had not. Just like Kline was aware that the fight had ended when she was released from the submission attempt, Jasudavicius knew that the fight had ended when she opted to take a cheap shot at her opponent.

For whatever reason, not much was said by the commentary team about the illegal shot, and it wasn’t exactly a hot topic on social media either. Perhaps that’s down to Kline’s reaction, which saw her avoid any animosity and simply move on.

But having also pulled the hair of Tracy Cortez in their 2023 fight, Jasudavicius is going the right away about gaining a reputation for ugly antics.

Positive – ‘Quik?’ Yeah, You Don’t Say…

Montel Jackson has something in his hands reminiscent of dynamite.

The 32-year-old Wisconsin native has long been one of the bantamweight division’s most intriguing prospects. But that’s been the case for years, with inactivity preventing him from rising the ranks toward those in contention at 135 pounds and fulfilling his potential.

Prior to Saturday’s event in Denver, Jackson hadn’t competed in 15 months since a statement knockout of Rani Yahya at the Apex. With those kind of gaps between fights, an emphatic performance is required in a return fight to remind the division.

“Quik” did that quikly (intentional, thanks. Please don’t email us a correction), sending Da’Mon Blackshear to sleep with a clean left hand after just 18 seconds — the second fastest knockout in the division’s history.

I’d say reminder to the division firmly sent, wouldn’t you?

That’s now five straight wins for Jackson and eight in his last nine. That form should bag a chance to climb the ladder next time out, providing that “Quik” is able to get back in the cage relatively soon.

For the sake of his own career and for the enjoyment of us, the fans, the quiker (intentional, again…) he makes the walk again, the better.

Positive – Uppercut From Hell

The term ‘turn up for the books’ comes to mind…

One of the most intriguing matchups on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card pitted the highly touted Joshua Van against former LFA champion Charles Johnson in the featured prelim. The Burmese prospect entered the Octagon with a perfect 3-0 UFC record in tow and many predicting big things for him.

And through two rounds, it appeared the unblemished nature of his Octagon slate and big forecasts for success down the line would continue. Van was simply too good for Johnson in most exchanges and should have raced to a lead on the scorecards (he somehow didn’t, with one judge instead having Johnson up two rounds).

In round three, though, tables turned in a gigantic way. “InnerG” came out from his corner to throw down, and “The Fearless” lived up to his moniker by obliging. That ultimately led to his downfall, however, as he found himself backpedaling after getting rocked.

Van was not given any time to recover, with Johnson pouncing to land a truly vicious uppercut that sent the Burmese 22-year-old to the canvas with such a thud that the referee immediately scrambled to intervene.

From what we’ve seen, it’s hard to say that Johnson has the talent to make a real run up the 125-pound pecking order. But with three wins from three fights in 2024, and having turned away the challenges of promising prospects like Van and Azat Maksum, it’s easy to acknowledge “InnerG” as one of the flyweight division’s most entertaining names.

Negative – Not An Ideal Start

When it comes to setting the tone, the main card opener in Denver firmly failed.

The middleweight matchup between Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage always looked likely to deliver a quick finish. And it was the Ghanaian powerhouse on track to finding it after putting pedal to the metal from the word go.

Unfortunately, “Judo Thunder” soon began losing control of his offense and finding the back of Brundage’s head. Despite referee Dan Miragliotta’s warnings, Alhassan threw another particularly egregious elbow to the back of the head, leading to an intervention.

Now, I neither want to guess the effect the blatantly illegal blows had on Brundage nor accuse him of looking for a way out. But as soon as the fight was paused, there was zero doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t restart. Perhaps that was due to the memory of Brundage’s disqualification win over Jacob Malkoun last year.

On this occasion, the American didn’t get a free win. And while it wouldn’t be ideal for him to have had another DQ win added to his record, I find it hard to see the logic in Miragliotta not ruling it as such. At one point do multiple illegal shots post-numerous warnings become not accidental? And even if the argument is that Alhassan was just careless, should that not be better punished?

The accurate and consistent enforcement of rules in MMA remains an uncrossed bridge toward absolute sporting legitimacy.

Positive – As Advertised

Some fights just can’t possibly underdeliver on how they appear on paper. Drew Dober vs. Jean Silva is among ‘some fights’.

Silva has had some two weeks. First, he had the disappointment of missing weight ahead of UFC 303, but that asterisk on his International Fight Week outing was largely erased when he put in a violent showing to knock out Charles Jourdain.

A move up to lightweight was not surprising, but just 14 days later to square off against a formerly ranked contender at 155 pounds like Dober? Yeah, that was a shock.

It’s hard to think of many assignments for a divisional debut that come tougher than Dober, but “Lord Assassin” did not make it look as such. From the very first seconds, he found a home for his shots, leaving his veteran opponent leaking from above the right eye in the first round.

In round two, Dober gave as good as he got at times, even landing the kind flush superman punch that brings out a joyous giggle from hardcore fans. But toward the end of the frame, a stiff spinning elbow from Silva (joyous giggle 2.0) further opened up the cut above the American’s eye.

Speaking of spinning elbows, the Brazilian landed another in round three, and that was all she wrote. The ringside physician rightly took one look at the gaping hole in Dober’s eyebrow and said enough was enough.

Would we have liked a final-round brawl to cap off the clear Fight of the Night? Of course, but we got that for the best part of two and a half rounds, so let’s be grateful. Welcome to 155 pounds, “Lord Assassin.”

Continue Reading 4 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez at MMA News.

7 Positives & 2 Negatives From UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane

On Saturday night, the MMA leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 285. T-Mobile Arena has played host to some of the biggest events in sport, combat, and MMA’s premier promotion. On March 4, the latest chapter to the venue’s…

On Saturday night, the MMA leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 285. T-Mobile Arena has played host to some of the biggest events in sport, combat, and MMA’s premier promotion. On March 4, the latest chapter to the venue’s history came in the form of one of the most anticipated returns the UFC…

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5 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC Fight Night 220

On Saturday night, the MMA leader returned for its latest offering from the Apex, UFC Fight Night 220. Before heading into an utterly stacked March schedule, featuring two blockbuster numbered events, the first UK-held pay-per-view since 2016…

On Saturday night, the MMA leader returned for its latest offering from the Apex, UFC Fight Night 220. Before heading into an utterly stacked March schedule, featuring two blockbuster numbered events, the first UK-held pay-per-view since 2016, the return of Jon Jones, and a highly anticipated trilogy between two of welterweight’s best, the MMA leader had one…

Continue Reading 5 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC Fight Night 220 at MMA News.