POATAN HAS BEATEN ADESANYA AGAIN! In the last round! When he was 3-1 down, Alex Pereira found something and landed big to defeat Israel Adesanya for the third time in all combat sports. Congrats to the champion. Commiserations to Adesanya who took the loss with grace, but wow. Alex Pereira is a problem and is only going to get better. Great fight! A real war. I think they’ll run it back. Izzy was the champion for 3 years so I expect them to run it back but I’d love to see Alex face Khamzat or Rob Whittaker. Wow, what a moment! The similarities between this and UFC 278 are kind of scary.
ZHANG WEILI IS BACK ON TOP! She outclassed Carla Esparza everywhere. In round one, Weili took a minute to figure out Carla’s timing and once she did, she went off. Then when the inevitable takedown came, she was all over it and both women showed high levels of grappling in a beautiful exchange. In round two. Zhang stepped it up another level, got the back after another Carla takedown attempt and submitted her. Incredible fight. Lemos vs Zhang next?
Dustin Poirier is a dawggggg. Two major comebacks in this fight against a game Michael Chandler to get the win. Chandler had great success in the early round one until he was caught with a left that stunned Chandler which changed the momentum of the round. Then round two was all Chandler. He was dominant on the ground in what could’ve been a 10-8 round. In round three Chandler went for a high crotch slam which was reversed by Poirier. He got the back and put him away with a rear-naked choke. Great fight from bell to finish. Dustin should get the winner of Islam Makhachev vs Volkanovski.
Chris Gutierrez put on a clinic against the retiring Frankie Edgar. A highlight reel knee straight to the jaw got him the KO win in round one. Chris’ striking was crisp. Feints, diversity, fluidity. Perfect. Frankie. Thank you for your service. Former Lightweight champion. It was hard to watch him go out like that. You’ll be missed for sure.
The start of the main card was weird, to say the least. Puelles vs Hooker was a Hooker masterclass but Puelles after one successful Imanari Roll into a leg lock attempt, which was well defended by the Hangman, the Peruvian continued to roll with no success. This meant Hooker just picked him apart on the feet and showed that Puelles wasn’t ready for that next step. He needs to develop a basic striking game before coming back to the octagon. For Hooker, great win. The bit of adversity he faced, he dealt with very calmly. I can’t wait to see him back in the Octagon soon against one of the top ten guys.
Prelims
Andre Petroski and Wellington Turman put on a great fight, with Petroski taking the decision to win. After a close striking exchange in round one, Petroski resorted to grappling where he nearly got a guillotine finish in round two and once again was close to getting a finish in the third. He called out Bo Nickal, who fights next month.
Erin Blanchfield dominated Molly McCann. Put her in a crucifix and attempted a kimura. Didn’t get the finish so she did it again and then got the tap. Perfect performance. She’s a serious problem for this division.
Ryan Spann is a problemmm. He knocked Dom Reyes out cold in round one. A brutal snap left straight put the former no.1 contender to sleep after it looked like Spann was already piecing up Reyes. Apparently, this is the first fight he’s trained for and if that’s the case. He’s gotta train more. Damn. I’d love to see him face Jamahal Hill next. That would be incredible.
RENATO MOICANO! GET HIM RANKED! The Brazilian submitted Brad Riddell with ease in round one to close the prelims. Riddell looked off the pace from the start and Moicano looked to be dominant on the feet and on the ground while the fight lasted. I think he’s got to face a top-15 guy next. He’s been brilliant. He’s always fighting and has shown he can hang with the best. Also what a post-fight speech!
Early Prelims
The early prelims were wild. Carlos Ulberg put on a masterclass as he knocked out Nicholae Negumereanu. I’d love to see him face a top-15 opponent next.
Montel Jackson defeated Julio Arce by a decision where his awkward striking was complex for his opponent to figure out.
Mike Trizano knocked out Choi Seung-Woo after a crazy fight. There was a double knockdown within 20 seconds. Then both men went swinging wildly until Trizano found the sweet spot.
To follow that, Silvana Gomez Juarez and Karolina Kowalkiewicz had a great fight, leading to a decision. However for some reason, just as Bruce Buffer was about to read out the scores, a judge came in and changed the scorecard. Giving the Pole the win. Something we’ve never seen before.
STEAMROLLA gave Ottman Azaitar his first-ever loss in devastating fashion. A brutal double right then left combo put Azaitar out in round one after a two-year layoff. Frevola even asked the fans how they wanted him to defeat his opponent and he went and acted on their word. He wants Paddy at UFC 285 next and I’m here for it!
This was one of the greatest UFC events of all time. From start to finish drama, action and a great display of martial arts. 10/10. This event will go down in history.
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